Sometimes It Hurts To Move On
by This-Family-Affair
Summary: Complete! Cameron left PPTH, but soon finds herself flying off to London with House, and then later on back to the USA... Hameron, Skase, hinting at Wuddy.
1. It Begins

**Woo! I'm back to House! I thought I'd have a go at a hopefully long House story. Eventually Hameron. Setting is a little different – Cameron never slept with Chase. Ever. She also never asked House out, though they did go to the monster truck rally. :-D I kinda changed the monster truck rally up a little bit, too. Hospital, and characters you don't know are mine, everyone else isn't (though I would kidnap House… opps, off subject!). The hospital may be real, but the one mentioned here isn't. :-D**

Prologue:

"Goodbye!" Allison Cameron waved goodbye to her old co-workers. Her co-workers waved back, and some made resolutions to go and see her sometime. House, however, was moping in his office. She had been transferred to a different hospital, though still in Princeton. She needed to get away from House. Though she was happy for him and Cuddy, she still had feelings for him. She was going to miss PPTH.

Gregory House had wanted her to stay. He had never told her, but he wanted her to stay. She was always so happy, so naive. He loved her. But he couldn't have her. He had followed the old saying, "If you can be with the one that you love, love the one you're with." He was mildly happy with Cuddy now. But now he had to find a new duckling. One that wouldn't make his coffee the way he liked it, fight back at his snarky comments, find the correct diagnosis, follow whatever command he told them, and totally trust him. Now that he thought about it, none of his team members really trusted him, not like Cameron had. And now Attempt #1 walked into his office.

"Hello. I suppose you are Dr. House? I'm Janie." A short redhead stood in the doorway.

"I say jump, you say?"

"How high," the hopeful answered confidently.

"Nope, sorry. Next!"

"What? Excuse me, but you haven't even read my résumé!"

"Okay, you have one more try, what is my favorite kind of coffee??"

"Umm…."

"See? Not good enough. Bye-bye!" After running that trial with ten other girls Wilson walked into his office.

"What's you're problem? All these girls have left close to tears!"

"They can't answer the questions correctly."

"And what are these questions?"

"I say jump, you say?" House smirked. His friend would never get this right.

"How high."

"Nope. What is my favorite kind of coffee?"

"I have no clue!"

"Precisely. I can't even hire you."

"House! Why do they have to answer those? What do they have to do with anything? What are you looking for in a person, anyways? Do you want another guy?"

"I need someone who will make my coffee the right way, fight back at my rude remarks, find the correct diagnosis, do whatever I tell them to, do whatever I tell them to do, totally trust me, and stay, no matter what I do to them!" House glared at the wall. "And no, I don't want another guy. Girls are much more fun. Minimum sleep plus PMS equals lots of fun." House remembered one of the times when that had happened with Cameron. Chase never looked so terrified…

"House, you're never going to find someone like Cameron. I'm sorry."

"Yeah, sure. Do I have to get another doctor?"

"Yes."

"Great. All the ones I've seen are wimps – you're going to have to look harder."

"House, it's not your fault she left. She really didn't want to. Cuddy insisted it would be best. She needed to 'experiment,' 'see all her possibilities,' and 'get away from House.' Cuddy's words!" Wilson sighed. House didn't even look up. He was expecting House to look up mad as heck.

"She still did." House wished she had stayed. His tone was lower, and softer.

"Well, she didn't. But she'd love a call from you, I bet."

"Yeah, uh-huh. She'll be too busy rescuing kittens from trees."

"Well, I guess you'll have to settle." With that Wilson walked out of the room.

_Guess I will. Maybe I can train them… If they're dumb they will believe it's part of the job description. But it was more fun when Cameron'd put up a fight and do it anyways. _Suddenly the next girl entered the room.

"Hello, Dr. House." She sat down and smiled at him.

"And you are?" He looked at her approvingly. She looked okay. She was rather short, though. A little shorter than Cameron.

"Well, I'm really Alexandria Skye Harperson. But everyone calls me 'Allie' or 'Skye.'"

_Allie, _he thought. _Just like Cameron… _"And what do you specialize in?"

"Immunology. I'm studying neurology, though." Her gray eyes shone as she thought of her accomplishments.

_Well, Cameron specialized in immunology. _"I say jump you say?"

"Why?" She pushed her brown hair (though it was so dark it may as well have been black) behind her eyes, causing the blonde and crimson highlights in her hair to shine.

"I'm wondering. Just answer."

"No, I'd say 'why,' or 'why would I trust you.'"

_Something like what Cameron would do, though she would probably jump while asking the questions… _"You're hired."

"Really? Great!" Skye hadn't even thought about her résumé.

"Only if you answer one question; is that your real hair color?" House had never seen such dark hair (naturally) on a white person.

"Oh, yeah. The highlights aren't though. Why?"

"I'll be the one asking the questions here."

"Whatever. So I got the job?"

"Again, I ask the questions. But yes."

"Good. See you tomorrow morning." She stood, turned, and walked out.

_Well, that's over with. Maybe I _should_ call Cameron. Wait, why would she like to hear from me? Maybe not. I'll ask my Magic 8 ball. _House picked up the ball and shook it. "Yes" appeared. _Crap. Well, here goes. _He dialed Cameron's cell. She answered, and he heard laughing in the background. He hung up. Moments later his phone rang.

"I'm sorry, but Dr. House is currently out doing his administrator. It could be a few hours before he comes back." House said in his most girly voice.

"House, I know you're there. Why did you call?" There wasn't any noise in the background. She sounded concerned.

"That was my new duckling."

"No it wasn't."

"I misdialed." He lied.

"House, you never misdial."

"Fine. I wanted to- Never mind. We have a case." He abruptly hung up. He thought about calling her back. He started looking through his desk for anything that reminded him of her. Suddenly he found it. The picture. They had been out at the monster truck rally. For some reason they had gotten a picture of them together. She looked so happy and laid-back in it. He smiled as he looked at it. He decided that it might not be best to take and frame it now, as he was with Cuddy, but he returned it to its hiding place and made a mental note to look at it more later.

_I wonder what's gotten into House… He couldn't, no way. He's not _missing_ me is he?_ Cameron thought to herself. _He can't be, can he? _Suddenly someone knocked on her door.

"There's a _party_ out here for you! Are you coming?" The voice called.

"I'll be there in a minute." She answered. She wished House was missing her. She missed him.

**R&R and I'll try to update soon!**


	2. Limping Away

**AN: Thanks for all the reviews! They are loved! This chappie is for those who reviewed!**

**Chapter One**

**Limping Away**

House was sitting home alone. Cuddy had asked if he wanted to go out and do something tonight, but he told her he had things to do tonight. He did. There were dishes, the fridge was getting empty, the house was in chaos, but he hadn't planned on doing anything about any of that tonight. He just wanted to be alone. He saw a picture he had been giving from one of his patients. It was of Cameron. The other ducklings were in there too, but Cameron was the closest and in best focus. She was smiling, looking at something off in the distance. He couldn't see what that something was. Chase had been looking at her and smiling, and Foreman was looking down at some paperwork. He wondered if he could ever have a chance with Cameron. Now that they weren't working together, she was pretty much fair game for anyone who worked at PPTH. She had never really wanted personal to interfere with work, but now that she didn't work there Chase was very likely to go out with her. Or at least try. It suddenly hit him, and it hit hard. Chase was young, energetic. Most ladies loved him already. Why would anyone pick him over Chase? And he was with Cuddy now. Cameron probably had some man in her life already. He was abruptly taken from his thoughts as someone knocked on the door.

"House? I know you're in there." Wilson's voice could be heard through the door. When there was no reply he continued. "House, come on. I know for a fact that you're sitting on your couch moping, probably about Cameron."

"I am not moping. Can't a guy just sit and think, _alone_?" House grumpily replied.

"Can you at least let me in?"

"You know where the key is." House stated simply. He could hear Wilson trying to reach to the top of the doorframe and retrieve the key.

"I can't reach it! Just get over here and open the door!" House grumbled but stood up and opened the door.

"What do you want?" He asked, blocking the entryway.

"House, you need to get over her." Wilson seemed very calm.

"Cameron? Or Cuddy?"

Wilson could hardly keep himself from saying Cuddy. "Cameron."

"And why do you think that I have anything to get over?"

"The interviews. You're even _more_ of a grump now." House could see that Wilson was having a hard time being so calm. He had always thought his friend might see something in Cuddy.

"Are you sure _you're_ not more of a grump, too?" House asked smartly.

"You don't know how lucky you are. You could have had Cameron, but you let her slip, and now you're ditching Cuddy-"

"Excuse me! I am not ditching Cuddy. I told her I have stuff that I have to do tonight, and you're not helping any." House glared at his friend.

"But your not doing anything!" Wilson exclaimed. House suddenly realized how much Wilson had cared about Cameron, and cared about Cuddy.

"I could be if you weren't taking up all my time."

"I don't know why I even came over."

"Hey! We agree on something!" Wilson just turned and left. House shook his head, glad that it was over, and plopped onto the couch. He started to think of all the times that she had just stormed off on him. He wondered if maybe he really had treated her badly. He suddenly remembered if he had it. He started looking through all his DVD's. He found it. For some reason, Cuddy had insisted making a movie of a day at PPTH (later used to prove that the House's team got along, sometimes). It was crudely shot, but some parts were clear. Cameron had on a tight pair of light jeans, and he was immediately glad he had kept the video. He saw her smile, and realized how happy she looked, and then remembered that he was the one filming at the time (he didn't want to be in it, so he filmed it). Suddenly he realized how creepy this was, but he really did miss her. Somehow, the phone ended up in his hands. His hand was lightly tracing the buttons of her phone number.

-----------------

"Aw, come _on_ Al!" Allison was at a bar, sitting in a huge booth surrounded by some of her old friends. "You've gotta be happy to get away from that man!" Ian, the speaker, was getting on her case. She didn't look too happy, and this was a sort of Be-Happy-You're-Away-From-House party. And a New-Job party, but everyone was more excited that she wouldn't be working with House.

"I'm just gonna miss them all! I do already." Allison replied.

"Oh, sure ya do. You're just scared of a new job." Haley slurred. She was just a little too drunk already. She had always been the party girl.

"Haley, I think you've had too much to drink." Allison said it seriously, but she had a small smirk on her face.

"Maybe you haven't had enough."

"I side with Hales!" Ian added, taking a huge gulp of his beer. Some of the others drank their agreement.

"Come on, have a drink! Just relax for once!"

"Guys, really, I start work _tomorrow_. I don't want to have a killer hangover, which I know I will." Most of her friends rolled their eyes, and then began to swap horrors stories of the first day at one of their jobs. No one made a bid deal of the limping man who took just a few steps into the bar.

_Crap. You come to a bar, planning on drinking you're stupid pain away, and then there she is-laughing with some drunk guys. _House quickly lowered his head and exited the bar. Allison just saw a glimpse of the familiar cane.

"Guys, I'll be right back." She quietly exited the huge booth and walked out the main doors. "House!" He limped even faster.

_Stupid leg! _He just wanted to go home, or even to a different bar.

"House, you know that you can't run from me! Just wait!" When he made no move to stop, she ran. He was amazed at how quickly she arrived by his side.

"Where'd you learn to run like that?" He mumbled, not even looking at her.

"Track team, varsity in high school." She was panting, and fell in step with House. He didn't seem to find avoiding her even possible right now. "House, what's up? You didn't have to run like that when you came into the bar. It's not like they hate you, not that much. You could come in and have a drink with us. I'm sure that some of them are too drunk to really even notice that I left."

"I'm fine. Got stuff to do at home. Paperwork calls."

"House, really! You hate paperwork, and you would _never _do paperwork at home."

"New duck won't do it."

"He hasn't even worked a full day!" House looked up at her.

"It's a she. Pretty she. Long-legged, thin she. And I just know she won't do it." He noticed the small flash of anger and jealousy in her eyes. "And I don't want to come in and have a drink. Hot date with Cuddy, went to the wrong bar." Cameron stood still and let him go. He wished that she would have made him stay, even protested. She didn't, though. She just turned and went back to her friends.

**R&R and I'll try to update soon!**


	3. Just Almost

******Alisoba, I think you will like this chappie… :-D This is again to all who reviewed (I will be replying soon, impromptu family trip, no computer!)! About the HUGE delay: I was taken (against will) on a family trip, to see my cousins, and they only have a laptop (difficult to type) and it's a Mac… There will be an update for the other story coming soon, I can only type so fast!**

**Chapter Two**

**Just Almost**

He could have gone back; physically it wouldn't have been hard. Mentally, however, that was what was holding him back. He could tell that she was mad, though he didn't know why. _It's not about the new duck, is it?_ _She's not… jealous, is she?_

Cameron walked back to the bar. She found everyone in the booth very drunk.

"Hey guys, sorry to ruin the party, but I have work to do. Tomorrow's a new job, and I would like to not have a hangover. Please have someone who's not drunk take you home. Bye." Cameron didn't really feel like being around all her friends right now. She just wanted to be alone, to think.

"Sure sweets…" Haley mumbled. She awkwardly handed Cameron her purse and jacket. Cameron accepted them, and walked out of the bar. Hopefully tomorrow'd be a better day.

-----------------

"Well! You must be the new doc!" A tall, muscular man who was sitting behind a reception desk greeted Cameron as she walked in. He had dark green eyes, a light tan, freckles, and sandy blonde hair. He stood up and walked over to her. "I'm Dr. Marc Snyder. I work in immunology most of the time, and am the official new-coworker-greeter. I'll be working with you for most of the cases. I'm sure it will be a pleasure." He reached out to shake her hand.

"I'm sure it will be, too." She smiled at him. He was a couple inches taller than her, even in her heels.

"And you're name is Allison, right?"

"Yep, just call me Allie. And what should I call you?"

"Marc is just fine. So, if you'd like, I can take you on a tour of the place. You can drop your stuff off in the office once we get there." She nodded.

"Sounds fun."

"Well, then, come with me, m'lady." He bowed, she tried to suppress a laugh, and they started the tour. "Well, this is the reception area…"

-----------------

About an hour later:

"So, where'd you come from? I mean, last hospital, or college."

"Princeton-Plainsboro Teaching. Fellowship under Dr. Greg House."

"_The _Gregory House? Lifesaver to many?" Marc's eyes widened.

"Yeah. Major grump, too."

"Why would you come here then? He's like, _the_ best!"

"Personal reasons. Needed a change."

"Involving him, or some hot coworker?"

"Depends on if you think so said coworker is hot."

"I see. I move around a lot, too."

"Why?"

"You can't tell? Well, I'm gay!" Cameron was confused. He was hot, and could have any girl he wanted, he'd almost be a perfect boyfriend, from what she'd seen so far.

"I would have never guessed."

"Wait, I didn't offend you or anything, did I? 'Cause if you want we can just stop now…"

"No, you didn't offend me." Cameron gave him a puzzled look. "And I would like to keep going, if it's okay with you." Marc smiled.

"Thanks." They had arrived at what appeared to be a conference room, small office attached. "This is out pad. Our boss is over in that room, I'm sure he'll like you, you can set your stuff here," he pointed to a chair, "and whatever you do, do _not_ drink the coffee. None of us can really make it, but we still like the smell. It manages to smell good, but taste just disgusting." Cameron smiled.

"Don't worry, I know how to work a coffee machine."

"Hang on, I'll go get the doc." Cameron had decided on taking a fellowship, just because then the fate of a patient wouldn't be all her fault. She didn't know if she could handle that. Moments later Marc had appeared, a man walking behind him. The man had a worn face, almost that of a grandpa, but younger. His face had a gentle expression to it. His hair was graying, but you could still see the vibrant red. His eyes were a diluted blue.

"Hello." He said warmly as he greeted Cameron. "You must be Allison. I'm Dr. Collin MacAdams. Just call me Doc."

"Nice to meet you." Cameron smiled and nodded.

"Well, I'm certain Marc isn't done with the tour yet."

"No, I'm not. We were just finishing up."

"Well, go ahead and finish up." The gentle doctor smiled at her. She reminded him of his daughter.

"Will do. You want to come with?"

"You know, that doesn't sound too bad." The doctor smiled.

"Well, let's go."

-----------------

"Wow, this place is nice!" Marc exclaimed. The last part included going out somewhere for lunch. Cameron had chosen the place, and they had just arrived.

"Table for three please." Cameron said to the hostess.

"One moment."

"Where'd you find this place?" Marc asked.

"This is where the old team and me used to meet. Great food." The hostess returned and they were seated by the window a moment later. Cameron sitting on the inside, Marc and the doc across from her.The hostess handed them the menus. Cameron was so engrossed in learning more about the hospital and her job she didn't see the grumpy old man and the black-haired woman wearing a too-revealing shirt in the booth nearby. He noticed her, however, and made sure his date didn't. _So she acts upset that I have a new duck, and here she is with _two_ men? I swear, that one guy is older than me!_

-----------------

Much later, around ten:

"Cuddy!" _Bang bang _"Lisa! I know you're in there!" House could hear some music blaring. She wasn't answering the phone, it was even off the hook. He's been here for ten minutes. He knocked again. No answer. _Why am I even doing this? I know where the key is_. House reached down and picked up the key from under the mat. As soon as he opened the door, he regretted it. Cuddy was on the couch, snuggled up to a twenty-something. She was giggling, and there was a wine glass in her hand. He turned around and slammed the door.

"House!" Moments later Cuddy was running after him. He stopped.

"Listen, you don't need to explain. Apparently people just like people who aren't even close to their own age. It's over, and I'm going on vacation." House limped fiercely away.

"House…" Cuddy mumbled. She knew he wouldn't ever want to see her again.

-----------------

"House…" House was seated at the bar, half-empty beer bottle before him. "I'm sorry." Cameron sat on the stool next to him.

"So, she called you?" Amazingly, House didn't want to see anyone right now, but somehow her being there made it that much better.

"Yeah, she did. She was worried. Idiot."

"Me or her?" House slid her a glance.

"Her."

"No, I'm the idiot… Everybody lies."

"House, there are people who care about you, and who don't lie!"

"Apparently lots who care about you."

"What?"

"The two men you were with at lunch."

"House! The one man, the young one, is gay; the other is happily married, twenty years. Four kids. And why would I go out with him?"

"Apparently you like older men."

"You were single, and it was different. I wouldn't ever ask a guy out if he was with someone. And apparently you like your new duck."

"I never said that. Though I must admit she has great legs…"

"You know, it's sad. I almost miss working for you."

_Almost? _House wondered. _Just almost?_

**I'm not sure how well I liked that chappie, just wanted to get something posted. R&R please!**


	4. Failed Attempts

**Woo! This one is really long. I loved writing this, and couldn't really find the ideal place to stop. Again, to all who reviewed, I love you all!! You guys are the perfect pick-me-up! **

Chapter Four 

**Failed Attempts **

"How can you still be so awake?" Chase's head was on the table, looking at Skye out of one eye.

"It's my tenth cup of coffee, silly! How can someone _not_ be awake?!" She was sitting in one of the chairs, appearing well rested and awake.

"I'm guessing this isn't coffee from this hospital?" Foreman added.

"No way, this is pure Starbucks espresso. I would never drink that… _stuff_." She rolled her eyes at the thought of going and drinking, or eating, anything made in a hospital.

"Cameron always made it, and it was delicious. Beat out Starbucks." Chase sighed. He wished he had a pillow.

"What's the big deal about this Cameron person?" Skye asked.

"Chase has a thing for her." Foreman couldn't keep his smile in.

"Had a thing for her. _Had_." Chase glared at him. Skye giggled.

"Well, either way, she was the only one who could ever get through to House. And her coffee was amazing. So was her bedside manner." Foreman sighed. "She also had a thing for House. Everyone knew he liked her, too, but then he suddenly started going out with Cuddy."

"Yeah, where is she?" They had all been called in for an important meeting with Cuddy, but she had yet to show. Suddenly a very tired and worn out Cuddy walked in.

"Hey, I'm sorry to call you in here so late, but we have an issue. House is going on vacation."

"Wow! Shocking!" Chase rolled his eyes. "That's the big news?"

"I'm not sure if he's coming back."

"And why do you need us?" Skye asked. She could tell something was wrong.

"Because he won't listen to me! And where's Wilson?" Cuddy surveyed the room.

"He left. Said he wanted to get some sleep, after you hadn't shown up for about an hour." Foreman wished he had left, too.

"I had things to take care of…" Really, she had been waiting for Cameron's call. It had been two hours since she had called her and asked her to go and find House.

"Okay, so let me get this straight, you want _us_ to convince him to stay here?" Skye asked. Cuddy nodded. "I'm not doing anything until I know why he left." Cuddy's eyes became wide. She didn't expect the new girl to be the one asking all the questions.

"H-he just got a little mad at me."

"I want the truth. He's a little more than a little mad at you, right? Right. Spill."

"We just got into a fight, okay?" Cuddy didn't like being ordered around like this.

"About?"

"Just, stuff!"

"Nope. He found you with another man…" Skye took in the look of shock on the administrator's face. "A much younger man, am I correct?" Cuddy merely nodded. "Well, I'm sure not doing anything."

"What?! Why?"

"Because it's your fault. I wouldn't go out with House in the first place, but I would definitely not cheat on him."

"Foreman, Chase, will you help?" Cuddy was on the verge of tears. She didn't expect her to not want to help.

"No." Chase shook his head. "Never thought this would happen, but I agree with Skye." Skye rolled her eyes.

"Me too. Maybe Wilson will help. Now, I am going home." Chase and Skye nodded their agreement. They all stood up and walked out, leaving Cuddy alone in the conference room. Alone with her thoughts.

-----------------

"Was your friend hitting on me?" House and Cameron were both a little drunk, and her friend, Marc, had decided to show up.

"I believe so." Cameron was laughing, remembering the look on House's face when Marc had sauntered over. They weren't drunk enough, and he was too drunk. It was priceless. _So, do you want to go and party, gorgeous? I think I'll have to pass…_

"Did he really call me 'gorgeous'?"

"I believe so."

"Is he always like that?"

"Nah, usually he seems pretty straight, unlike that little display."

"Listen, how drunk do you think you are?" Suddenly House changed the subject.

"More than I probably should be." Cameron grinned.

"Listen, I have two tickets to London. Plane leaves tomorrow."

"I have my job-"

"I'm sure they would understand, just say you're helping a friend in need. Please?"

"Well, when put that way…"

"I'll pick you up tomorrow, seven a.m. sharp."

"I'll be ready. And now, if you don't mind, I believe I have some people I should call." Cameron smiled, stood up, and walked out of the bar. House smirked. _She decided to come._

-----------------

_Knock knock knock_

"Greg… please…" Cuddy was standing outside of House's door, tears running down her face. "Please… We need to talk." No answer. "I'm sorry, okay?! What more do you want?!" Cuddy's hand slid down the door. "House… please…" She choked back a sob. Suddenly she heard the familiar thumping of House and his cane. Cuddy turned around.

"You're blocking my way." House stated it simply.

"House, thank God! Where have you been?" Cuddy was so happy to see that he was okay.

"Why do you care?"

"House… Because I lov-"

"Don't. You don't mean it. You're saying it, hoping that I'll just go all mushy and forgive you. I'm not going to, and lying won't help you out any. And you're still in my way." House glared at her. He realized that she had been crying, but he thought she deserved it.

"Can we just talk?" Cuddy was begging now. She hoped he wasn't about to do something stupid.

"You can talk, but I need you to get out of my way." House waved his cane for effect.

"Fine." Cuddy moved over and House unlocked the door. He headed straight for his bedroom. "What are you doing?" Cuddy asked as she followed him in.

"Packing." He stuck his head out of the room. "What's the weather like in London right now?"

"I don't know. Wait - London!?" This was what Cuddy had feared. He was just running away.

"Yeah, bought tickets a few minutes after I found out about _him_." Cuddy was on the verge of tears again.

"House, please, you have to stay, the hospital needs you… I need you!"

"Sure. Anyways, already paid for the tickets. No refunds." She could hear him shoving clothing into suitcases.

"But… You're coming back, right?"

"I don't know. I honestly don't know."

"You have to!" Tears began to flow.

"Listen, if I'm so important to you, why were you with him?! Answer that, and then maybe I'll think about coming back."

"I… I… I don't know why!" Cuddy hated the revelation. She really didn't know why she was with that man. "I'm sorry, okay! That's the best I can do!"

"Then you should go." He said it simply, ending the subject.

"Fine!" Cuddy stormed out, slamming the door. She pulled out her cell phone. As soon as she got to the car she broke down and dialed the number.

"Lisa?" The man's voice was groggy – she had just woken him up.

"Please, please, you have to talk to him!" She tried to hold in her sobs.

"Who? Oh, House? What did he do now?"

"James, please, just talk to him…"

"Okay, I'm on it. Is he at home?" She could hear the rustle of sheets in the background.

"Yeah… I'm sorry, I shouldn't have called."

"No! I mean, no, it's a good thing you called. I'll go and take care of it, okay?"

"Thanks. I should go… I'm sorry… Tell him that. I'm so sorry." She hung up and reached for the box of Kleenex she kept in her car. _Why did I have to screw things up?_

-----------------

"House! Open the door!" Wilson yelled through his door. He didn't care if he made the neighbors mad. House had hurt Lisa. He couldn't just let it slide.

"What?" House opened the door a crack; stopping when the chain lock wouldn't let it go any farther.

"What did you do to her!?"

"Nothing. I told her she should go."

"And why did you say that?! Tell me what's going on!"

"I found her with another man, a younger man, though I expected it. I went to the bar, and decided to take a trip to London. I come home to find her banging on my door. She demands to know if I'm staying, and if I'm coming back, and then she tries to tell me she loves me, which I know is not true. We fought for a little while longer, and she couldn't give me a reason to stay. I told her to go, and she did. Apparently she called you. And now you're here, disturbing my sleep, and being just plain annoying." Wilson noticed that his friend's hair was messed up, he was in pajamas, and really didn't look like he wanted to chat. He didn't get to say anything more before House slammed the door shut. Wilson thought twice about knocking again. He left, more annoyed and angry at his friend than ever before.

_Ahh, sweet peace and quiet. This time tomorrow, I'll be in London, away from all this._

**R&R please!**


	5. iPods vs MP3's

**Hello! How's it going? This isn't my favorite chappie, but I needed to get them to London, somehow. The flights and approx time is fake, as I'm not sure if there are flights from Princeton to London. I took the time from New York to London and added a few hours. Now, for those of you who have been to London, would you help me out, like places to go, some of the hotels, what life's like there, etc? That would be really helpful!**

**Chapter Five**

**iPods vs. MP3's**

_  
Beep beep beep_

Cameron rolled over in bed and turned off the alarm, knowing that it'd be just her luck that it went off at some random time annoying the neighbors. She stood up, stretched, walked over to her answering machine, planning to set it to voice mail, which she could check anywhere, when she saw the flashing 1.

_Hello, Allison? This is Lisa, just wondering why you never called me back last night. Would you please call me back when you get this?_

"Hello?" Cuddy was wide awake on the other end, and Cameron guessed she was at work already.

"Hey, Lisa, this is Allison."

"Oh, thanks for calling me back. Did you talk to him? Because he said he wasn't sure if he was ever coming back, and we need him back here..."

"Yes I talked to him, but I didn't try to talk him out of it."

"What? Why not?"

"He needs a vacation - when was the last time he took one?"

Silence. "I'm not sure he ever took one that was more than a week here..."

"Well, let him take a break. Maybe he will come back if everyone leaves him alone."

"But, what if he doesn't?"

"Well, then he doesn't. Change isn't all that bad, anyways. Now, I'm sorry, but I need to go." Cameron hung up the phone and unplugged it. Everything was shut off, her baggage by the door, and now she just had to wait.

-----------------

7:03

_Thump thump thump_

Cameron opened the door and found House hitting his cane against the door. "You're late." House rolled his eyes.

"By three minutes."

"Three minutes is three minutes." Cameron smiled and picked up her bags. House wondered how she could carry both of those huge bags along with her purse and carry-on.

"You know that you can only have one carry-on bag, right?" House asked as she walked out of the apartment, the door locking behind her.

"The purse goes into the carry-on. It's not that big, anyways." He offered a hand, but she held on to the luggage, causing him to roll his eyes again.

"A man can help out you know. And will they let you have a bag inside a bag?"

"Women don't need anymore help than men do, and of course they will! If not, I can empty everything in my purse to the carry-on. Now, please tell me you have a car."

"I hitchhiked here. Of _course_ I have a car. Rental Cadillac." House smiled, and now Cameron rolled her eyes.

"Did you really need to rent a Cadillac?"

"Well, there was a BMW, but that was too expensive for just getting us to the airport."

"Men and their cars..." Cameron mumbled under her breath.

-----------------

At the airport:

After waiting in line for security for almost an hour, the duo were ready to board the flight. House had been shockingly quiet, except for the occasional rude comment about the wait or the fact that they had some ugly guy check them for weapons, while everybody before them had had a pretty, thin woman.

"When are we supposed to board, anyways?" Cameron was sitting beside House. They had allowed her to keep her purse inside her carry-on, causing her to say "I told you so" multiple times.

"Nine."

"A.m., right?"

"Yeah. Why would I be here if it was nine at night?"

"I don't know why! Just seems like we've been her forever." Cameron sighed. "It's almost nine." Cameron pulled out her MP3 player and turned it on.

"iPod's better." House mumbled.

"Whatever."

"You know it is." House pulled out his iPod, only to find the battery dead. He glared at her. Cameron turned down the volume on her MP3 and grinned at him.

"Need a battery? Oh, wait, you have to _charge_ yours... Looks like it's gonna be a quiet ride."

"Mine is more eco-safe."

"And what do you base that on? I use rechargeable batteries, anyways. Just as eco-friendly as you're iPod, and better, because I can charge mine and carry them with me." House grunted, realizing he lost, and pulled out a copy of Time. Cameron saw the date on it, and reached down and pulled out two different copies of Time; one the latest, one about why people love to eat food that's unhealthy. She could tell by how worn his copy was that it had been read lots of times. He gratefully accepted her copies, and started on the one with the big thing of ice cream on it.

"What else you got in that bag?" Cameron just smiled and shook her head. Minutes later the plane landed, and they boarded. They were put in a three-seater, with a man already sitting by the window seat.

"Ladies first." House smiled as Cameron sat next to the man.

"You'll regret it..." Cameron smiled as she pulled out her book. An hour later a woman pushing a cart filled with food hit House in the elbow, and by the look on his face she had hit the funny bone.

"Don't say anything." House growled at her. Cameron failed to suppress a laugh. Sure, she had to go through the man next to her hitting on her, falling asleep on her shoulder, and just being annoying, but this made it worthwhile. Only eight or nine more hours and they'd be in London.

-----------------

Back at PPTH:

"Cameron's not at work... They say she's on vacation." Chase hung up the phone. They needed help with a case, and both Cameron and House weren't available. Skye was grinning. "What?"

"Aussies, so clueless."

"I am from Britain!"

"Whatever. Think, koala!" Skye was bugging him. She was a lot like House. Usually she called him the Great-Haired-Koala.

"I'm clueless."

"Gosh, it's practically spelled out for you! House takes vacation to London, not exactly majorly romantic, and Cameron's on vacation..." Chase still looked clueless. Skye rolled her eyes. "They went on a vacation... _together_!"

"What?" Cuddy walked in, and Skye shushed up.

"We were just discussing the case." Skye discretely glared at Chase, and he kept his mouth shut.

"Where's Foreman?"

"Lunch."

"Okay then... Any luck reaching Cameron?"

"No, her boss said she was also at lunch. Sorry."

"Alright then. I'll be back." Cuddy knew they were hiding something, she just didn't know what. _I hope they're not dating... That'd be fun to deal with._

**R&R please! **


	6. Sleeping Beauty

**Here's my big question: why do authors block unsigned reviews? Some of my favorites are unsigned… Just something to ponder. Oh, I got some of the best ideas ever, and some (not telling what) of** **Anon.Y.Mouse suggested ideas will be used… :-D Enjoy! (Wow, two chappies in one day!) **

**Chapter Six**

**Sleeping Beauty**

"Allison… Wake up." House poked Cameron on the shoulder. They had previously agreed that now they would start referring to each other by their first names. They were just about to land, and Cameron was out like a rock. She didn't even flinch. "Allison! We're about to land!" Still, she didn't move. _This should work…_ House reached over and picked up her MP3 player, which was off, planning to take and find a loud song and turn it up all the way. However, surprisingly, when he picked up the MP3 player, she immediately woke up.

"What are you doing?" She stared at him, wondering what he would want with her MP3 player, as he had said earlier that iPods were better. "Not like you'd like anything on there anyways. How far out are we?"

"About five minutes. What's on here that I wouldn't like?" House turned it on and started flipping through the songs.

"Well, Rachael Yamagata, Norah Jones, Anna Nalick, Regina Spektor, and some Hinder." House was surprised at the Hinder part.

"You listen to Hinder?"

"Yeah, I love them." House shook his head. He couldn't believe it. "I really do, I have the whole CD on there."

"Something an ex-boyfriend liked?"

"No," Cameron looked at him like that was the craziest thing she'd ever heard, "I found them on my own. Why is that so shocking?"

"Just didn't think you were the type."

"There are lots of things you don't know about me." Cameron grinned, and they were told that they had landed. "Well, I guess you're gonna have to move."

"Or not." He grinned mischievously. Suddenly the other man woke up.

"Listen, you might think that it'll be fun to see her squeeze through, but I really got to go, and I think you best be moving, unless you want _me_ to squeeze through." He was not a man to be messed with. For once House was quiet. He stood up, allowed Cameron to get out, and then the man got out. "Good choice." Cameron tried to hide a fit of giggles. House glared at her. They both grabbed their bags and walked off of the plane. As soon as they were in the airport, Cameron couldn't hold it in anymore.

"How'd you like that?" House continued to glare at her.

"Not funny." House did _not_ like that guy at all.

"What, bad mental pictures filling you're head right now?"

"No!"

"Oh yes they are!" Cameron was grinning now.

"Can we just get our bags?" House really wanted to change the subject.

"Sure."

-----------------

Awhile later, after picking up luggage.

"So, please tell me you made reservations." Cameron was again carrying her own bags, not letting House help at all.

"Yep, I think you'll like the place."

"Where is it?"

"You'll see when we get there." House tried unsuccessfully to hail a cab. Cameron just waved her hand and one stopped. House mumbled something to the driver, who began driving right as House shut his door. "How come everyone likes you?" House mumbled, and Cameron didn't hear it. A few minutes later, they were there. It was a beautiful building.

"What is this place?" Cameron could see the building very well because of the streetlights.

"The Four Seasons." House smiled at the familiar place. He had lived nearby for a little while, and used to always run around and get into trouble in the hotel.

"It's beaut-" instead of finishing the word, Cameron yawned.

"Well, let's go in and get some sleep." House paid the driver and got of the car, Cameron following closely. They grabbed their baggage and walked in. House walked up to the lady working and checked in, while Cameron just looked around. She turned around and found a very angry House waiting for the elevator. She hurried over.

"What's wrong?"

"Idiots! Can't even get the room right…"

"What?"

"They gave us a king bed, not two single."

"I call left." The elevator arrived, and both of them got in.

"So you don't have a problem with this?"

"As long as you don't try _anything_ I'll be fine. And stay on your own side of the bed, got it?"

"Yes ma'am!" A few minutes later they were at the room, and it was beautiful. The bed looked soo comfy, Cameron started digging through her bag, pulled out some pants and a tee, and went straight for the bathroom. Minutes later House realized that the pants were shorts, really short shorts, and the tee was rather tight fitting.

"You sleep in _that_?" House was a little shocked.

"Yeah, why not?" Cameron had rolled back the sheets, placed her own pillow down, and was about to crawl in.

"Just making an observation." House turned around and started looking for his usual PJ's. Upon finding them, he preceded to go to the bathroom and change. He emerged to find Cameron already sleeping. _Must've been tired… She looks amazing when she sleeps…_ House mentally kicked himself for thinking that. He turned off the lights, and slipped into bed. For some reason, his leg wasn't hurting at all.

-----------------

When House woke up, he heard the shower running and noticed that Cameron wasn't in the bed. He decided to just lie there, and relax for a little while. After a few moments Cameron walked out of the bathroom, wearing only a towel, her hair hanging down in loose curls. She walked over to her suitcase and pulled out her blow dryer. She sensed his eyes on her and turned around.

"Something amusing?" She was smiling.

"Nope."

"Okay…" Cameron turned and walked back into the bathroom. About ten minutes later she returned, fully dressed, with her hair pulled back into a butterfly clip and slightly dried.

"So," she said as she sat on a chair opposite the bed, "any big plans for today?"

"None that I know of."

"Good, go get dressed then." Cameron smiled and started to unpack some of her stuff. "Seriously. We have places to see today. And you will _not_ protest about going to any of the places."

_Well, wonder what she has planned for today..._ House thought as he got up to shower and get dressed. _If it involves me and carrying bags, she will pay._

**R&R please!**


	7. Such a Cute Couple

**Internet's been down a lot, I'm uploading this at my grandma's, her internet's bad, and I'm talking about the big Ferris wheel that has little bubble-seating areas, not sure if it's the London Eye, but just bear with me please! And I believe that there are many more, and different, sides to Cameron, and I think that she might like some of the stuff talked about later on. Thanks to Anon.Y.Mouse for the idea! Enjoy**

**Chapter Seven**

**Such a Cute Couple**

"Come _on_!" Cameron was tugging on House's arm. He wasn't coming with her by free will, so she thought that after annoying him he might.

"No."

"Please? We'll do whatever you want tomorrow!"

House pushed away the dirty thoughts filling his mind. "No. I'm not going on that thing."

"Wait…" Suddenly it hit Cameron. "You're scared of heights!"

"No-"

"Yes you are! Afraid, petrified, whatever you want to call it, you're scared of heights! Wait 'till Foreman and Chase hear about this… Oh, and Skye and Wilson! You'll be the talk of the hospital!" Cameron smiled. "It's you're choice, but I will tell them… They have pay phones here." She turned around and walked over to get tickets.

_Great… This will never turn out to my advantage; either she'll tell everyone at the hospital, or we'll get stuck at the top or something worse_… _Well, I guess I'd rather be trapped in a bubble-dome thing with her than the whole hospital knowing about my fear of heights…_ House limped over to where she was standing.

"Good choice." She smiled at him as they walked over and got into one of the spheres. They both sat down next to each other and waited for it to start.

"You know, I'm afraid of elevators." Cameron stated it totally out-of-the-blue. House gave her a puzzled look. "Really, I hate them. I guess I let Tower of Terror get to me when I was younger. And then the new Poseidon didn't help much either. Really, it's true. I know people always say that they're so safe and all, but I'm always thinking something's going to just snap and down I'll go." House thought about that for a minute.

"Never would've guessed." Slowly, the Ferris wheel started moving.

"There are lots of things you don't know about me."

"Well than, enlighten me."

"What do you want to know?"

"Well, let's start out with your favorite band."

"Oh, easy, Secondhand Serenade. I'm almost certain you haven't heard of them, but they're really good. Next."

"Favorite song of theirs."

"Ooh.. Hard one. I'd have to say Vulnerable. Next."

"Favorite guilty pleasure."

"Triple chocolate smoothie. Make 'em myself. Chocolate ice cream, Hershey's chocolate bars, and M&M's. Next."

"Sounds good… Alright…" House pondered what he should ask next. "Phrase that means the most to you."

"That one is really hard… It's long, longer than most sayings people love."

"Got nothing better to do."

"'This is how it works - you're young until you're not; you love until you don't; you try until you can't; you laugh until you cry; you cry until you laugh; and everyone must breathe, until their dying breath.' Regina Spektor. I have it written in a notebook somewhere."

"It is long, but has a lot of meaning…" House realized how accurate that statement was.

"Mm-hmm." Suddenly the giant wheel halted. They were at the top. It was beautiful. "Wow…" Cameron couldn't believe how beautiful London looked. She stood up and walked to the railing. "It's beautiful…" House stood up and hobbled over to her. He looked out at the seemingly peaceful city. It was beautiful, and he was glad he had decided to come. He could see everything from up there. He noticed how romantic this was, and then corrected himself – would be, if she still felt anything for him, which he doubted.

"Isn't it amazing?" Cameron's voice broke his thoughts.

"It is…" Cameron was surprised at how uncharacteristic House was acted. He was almost _friendly_ to her. She realized that he _was_ being friendly. Suddenly the great wheel started moving again, taking them off guard. They both decided to go back to their seats.

"So, are you glad I made you come on?"

"You didn't make me do anything! I thought that I should come on just incase _you_ were afraid of heights!"

"Sure… So that means you are glad."

House rolled his eyes. "Where are we going next?"

"Well," Cameron consulted her watch, "it's almost noon… How about lunch? On me, of course. And I want to pay my half of the hotel room."

"Yes to lunch, no to the hotel."

"Why not?"

"Because I'm the one who invited you. You shouldn't have to pay."

"But you paid for the plane tickets, the hotel room, the rental car… I should get to pay half of all costs. And, by the way, when are we scheduled to go home?"

"Whenever we feel like it, and no, you shouldn't have to pay for half of all costs."

"Yes I should!"

"Nope." The ride had stopped and the door was opening for them to get out. Outside, a little old lady was sitting on a bench. House stepped out, followed closely by Cameron.

"Yes I should!" They started walking off towards the lady.

"Nope. Are you ever just going to let it go?"

"No, and why should I?"

"Because I'm never going to give in. Not the type. You of all people should know that."

"Well, I'm not going to give up, either, so if you want me to shut up, you better allow me to pay my half!"

"Nope-" They were right by the old lady, who smiled up at them as they walked by.

"How long have you two been married?" That got both Cameron and House to shut up.

"Oh, no, we're not! Just friends!" Cameron said quickly.

"Well, you're a very cute couple."

"Uhh, thanks, I guess…" Cameron wasn't sure how to respond to that one, and wanted to get her two cents in before House said something rude. She smiled at the lady and walked away. House followed slowly, lost in thought. After just walking away aimlessly for about five minutes, he made up his mind. He was going to do it.

"Allison."

"What?" She stopped walking. "If it's about me paying my half, I will, no matter how long it takes me." She thought that it might be about that, but House merely shook his head.

"No, it's not that…"

"Greg… Is everything okay?" Cameron's eyes were filled with concern.

"Do you still like me?"

**Hehe! How's that cliffie for you? R&R please!**


	8. Skittles and Bets

**Hey everybody! How's it going? I know I'm so mean for making you wait one whole day for the update. Well, here it is! Enjoy!  
**

**Chapter Eight**

**Skittles and Bets **

"What?" Cameron wished he was thinking of more than friends, but doubted it.

"Do you like me, as more than just friends?" He looked so vulnerable, so easily hurt. She could see a glimmer of hope in his eyes.

"Yes."

"What…?" House had wanted that answer, but didn't expect it.

"I said yes." In a few seconds she had closed the space between them. Abruptly, their lips met, and the little old lady standing in the distance smiled. After a few seconds, they broke apart.

"Let me guess, you didn't even ask for two separate beds?" Cameron smiled at him.

"And why would I have done that?" House raised an eyebrow before kissing her again.

-----------------

"Can't you do something more mature?" Chase asked Skye. She was leaning back in one of the chairs, tossing Skittles in the air and catching them in her mouth. She had only missed one so far.

"You're just jealous because you can't do it, too." Skye said after catching another one.

"Oh yes I can!"

"Prove it."

"Fine. Give me some." Skye walked over, handed him some, and went back to her chair, pulling out the mini video camera she kept on her at all times.

"Now, to prove you can do it, you have to make six of them. And yes, I'm taping it."

"What! Why?"

"The awesome website called YouTube would enjoy hosting this video, don't you think?"

"Let's make a bet, then."

"Hold on… Let me get this thing turned on… We'll need proof. Got it. What's the bet?"

"I make six of these, you do all my clinic duty."

"And if you only make five or less, you go out on a date with me." Skye wiggled her eyebrows.

"Deal."

"You may begin." Skye held up the camera, getting proof that he did agree to go on a date with her. When all Chase's Skittles were gone, he had only made two.

"So, tonight, seven, I'll pick you up." Skye shut off her camera, smiled, and went off to clinic duty, leaving Chase alone in the room. Foreman had taken a vacation, so it was just Skye and Chase working diagnostics. Suddenly Cuddy walked in.

"Have either one of you heard from either Cameron or House?" She looked around for Skye. "Where's Skye?"

"Skye's on clinic duty, and no, we haven't."

"Why are there Skittles all over the floor?"

"Oh, uh, I had a bag, and it sort of exploded when I opened it."

"Okay, but I expect you to pick it up. If either one of them call, please tell me."

_They've been gone less than two days, and she's already freaking out about them being gone…And now I've gotten myself stuck with going out with Skye… Perfect._

-----------------

_Ding-dong ding-dong_

Skye was waiting outside, ringing Chase's doorbell. They were going to a nice diner and then a showing of a classic movie at the theater, though Chase had no idea about it. "Are you coming?"

"Hang on!" Chase yelled through the door. Skye waited for about five minutes. Okay, I am not waiting any longer… She reached up above the door frame and found the key. She put the key in the lock and opened the door.

"Hello?" She took a step inside. Wow, this is a nice place. Suddenly Chase appeared, donned only in his boxers, which happened to have hearts on them. "Nice…" Skye was a little surprised that he wore heart-printed boxers.

"I couldn't find any others… And what are you doing in here!? How'd you get the key?"

"It's really pretty simple. You hid the key above the door frame. Not hard to find and get. I took so said key, put it in the lock, turned to the right, and shockingly, the door opened! Then I took a step or two in, and here we are."

"You should have just waited." Chase walked back into his bedroom and pulled on some jeans.

"Yeah, I could have, but that would have taken all the fun out of it!" Skye leaned against a wall. "Nice place."

"Thanks…" Chase pulled a tee over his head. "You ready?"

"Yep." They both walked out, Skye stopping to put the key back in its resting place. "Your hair looks great messed up like that." Skye smiled at Chase, and he smiled back. "And those shorts weren't too bad…" She was answered by a playful hit on her arm.

"You weren't supposed to see them!"

"What, saving them 'till later?"

"No! And where are we going, anyways?"

Skye smiled at his attempt to change the subject. "Well, there's this really nice diner that I thought I'd show you, and then there's a one-night-only airing of some classic movie at the theater."

"Sounds fun."

Skye could tell that he wasn't that excited. "Hey, it will be fun! I promise." Moments later they arrived at Skye's car – a silver Beetle with a black convertible top. Skye walked around and got in the driver's seat. Chase sat in the passenger.

"What do you think? It's my baby." Skye smiled at the car.

"It's nice... Very feminine."

"Oh, sure it is. If I wanted feminine I would have gotten the pink one with flowers on it. This one was the most masculine one there, except for the custom pure-black one. And bug's are not really that feminine, I know five straight guys who drive them, and they get lots of dates."

"Because girls like them."

"Because they're cool cars. And what do you drive?"

"I, well, I drive and Altima."

"Bug beats Altima, hands down." Suddenly the car zoomed forward. Chase was shocked at how fast the little bug could go in such a short time. The car slowed down as she merged in with the rest of the traffic. "How'd you like that?"

"Nice... Didn't know bugs could do that."

"Most can't, but my baby here, can. I have XM and Sirius radio, Sirius because I got it for Christmas, surround sound stereo, with an amp in the trunk, and a very nice engine. Bet your Altima doesn't have half the stuff mine does. Oh, yeah, can it do this?" Skye pressed a button and the top of the car slid down and back into the trunk.

"No, it can't." Chase was amazed at how much she loved this car. He had never met a girl so obsessed with her car.

"So, now are you thinking of buying a bug?" Skye smiled at him as they drove off to get some food.

**  
R&R please!**  



	9. Going Home

**Okay, I'm having serious computer issues, you might have to wait until later on in the week to get updates (I have to take apart my whole computer... again). Very sorry, but I need to fix the disk drive... Oops, rambling! And I'm just making the time difference be about four hours... Makes everything fit. I know, this chapter just kind of ruins the whole fluff thing going on, sorry, but now there can be some hurt/comfort things coming… Enjoy! **

**Chapter Nine**

**Going Home**

House woke up to the smell of strawberries. He was intensely comfortable, and really didn't want to move. Suddenly all the memories from last night came rushing at him, and sure enough, there was Cameron lying right beside him, her arms wrapped around him. Her brown hair was shining in the sun's light streaming in from the windows, as the blinds weren't all that thick. He brushed back a strand of hair from her face, causing her to stir.

"'Morning." Cameron mumbled without moving the rest of her body. Frankly, she was too comfortable.

"'Morning to you too."

"I think the lady _was_ following us last night." The little old lady had been everywhere they had gone yesterday.

House chuckled. "That all that you've been thinking about? That little old lady?"

"No! But she seems familiar..."

"She does look a bit like you." Suddenly a phone rang.

"Stupid phone..." Cameron rolled over and found her phone on the end table. She looked at the number and opened the phone. "Hello?"

"_Cameron? Are you okay?" _Cameron immediately recognized Cuddy's voice.

"Yeah, I'm fine. So's Greg."

"_Greg? Well, when are you coming back?"_

"I don't know."

"_Don't you guys have round-trip tickets?"_

"No... I don't think so. Hang on." Cameron looked back at House. "Do we have tickets to go back? Cuddy's asking." House shook his head.

"Don't know if I'm going back."

"No, we don't have tickets." Cameron said into the phone.

"_Well, can you put House on the phone?"_

"Ummm..." Cameron looked at House, who shook his head. "He's not awake right now. I'll tell him you called." Cameron was just about to hang up the phone when she heard Cuddy's voice.

"_Wait, I know he's up! He's always up at ten! Please... This is important! It's about a patient!"_

"I'm sorry; he's asleep. Goodbye." Cameron hung up the phone, and snuggled back up to House. "You serious about not going back?"

"Dead serious. Now, if you don't mind, I'm going back to sleep." House smiled before he drifted back to sleep.

-----------------

Chase regretted taking that huge cup of coffee. Wilson had come in to make some, as his was broken.

"What, don't like my coffee?" Wilson glared at Chase.

"Well, compared to Cameron's..."

"You know what, mine's great." Wilson poured himself a large cup and took a drink. He suddenly understood why Chase wasn't drinking any. "That is bad..."

"Where's Skye? She can make the best coffee. Right up there with Cameron's." Wilson shrugged.

"You were the one with her last night..." A playful look appeared on Wilson's face.

"Hey, I went back to my place, alone, last night."

"But what time?"

"I don't know." Chase glared at Wilson. He was almost worse than House. Almost. Thankfully, Skye walked in right before Wilson could ask any more questions.

"I take it the coffee's bad?" Skye looked at the practically full coffee pot. She immediately walked over and poured herself a tiny cup. "Ick." She quickly tossed it out. "Who made it?" Chase immediately pointed at Wilson.

"He did it!"

"Wilson, you are forever forbidden to use this coffee machine to do more than just pour yourself a cup. Understood?" Skye stared at him to make sure he understood. He nodded.

"Good." Skye dumped out the coffee, and started brewing a new pot. "So," she said as she sat down next to Chase, "what's up?"

"Nothing…" Chase was staring at the coffee pot, as if staring at it would make it go faster. Suddenly Skye's cell rang. After seeing the number, she quickly exited into House's office.

"Hello?"

"Hi."

"Dad?" Skye kept her voice low. Her dad _never_ called her, unless it was an emergency.

"Alexandria," now she _really_ knew it was bad, "there's a problem that's come up. Your mother is dying." Skye was silent, trying to hold back her tears. She was extremely close to her mom. Skye was adopted, sure, but she still loved her parents. She had been adopted when she was fifteen, and when her parents were only thirty. Her father was about ten years older than her aunt, Allison. Her mother wasn't even forty…

"How long?"

"They're not sure, please come as soon as possible."

"Yeah, I'll be there as soon as I can." Skye pressed her back against the wall and tried to keep her composure for a moment later. "Have you called Al?" Her voice was barely above a whisper.

"Not yet, I wanted to call you first."

"Okay dad, goodbye…" Skye hung up the phone. She immediately broke down in tears, sliding down the wall. After not coming out for a good fifteen, Chase decided to go in and check on her. All lights were off when he walked in. He heard her sniff from over in the far corner.

"Skye…?" He moved closer to the sound her sniffles.

"What?" It wasn't accusing, just sad.

"Are you okay?" Chase's eyes had adjusted, and he could now make out her shaking form. He knelt down beside her.

She sniffed. "Define 'okay.'" Chase smiled at her comment. "Yeah, I guess _I_ am. I need to go back home for a while, though."

"Okay."

Skye looked up at him. "Aren't you going to ask why?"

"Nah, only House would do that. If you want to tell me, I think you can tell me on your own, without prompting from me."

Skye smiled. "My mom…" her face changed. "She's dying. She's not even forty…" She could see the look of confusion on his face. "Adopted." He nodded. "I can't believe she's dying…" Skye said before she broke out crying again. Chase moved beside her and hugged her.

"Everything will work out…"

-----------------

Cameron and House were out getting some breakfast when her cell rang. She looked at the number and quickly excused herself. She went into the ladies' bathroom and answered the phone.

"Hello?"

"Allison?" She immediately knew something was wrong. He had used her regular name, not nickname.

"Jason?"

"Al, could you come home? Lexi is dying, and she'd like to see the whole family. And I'm sure Alex would like to see you… You two have always been close." She could tell her brother had been crying.

"Umm, I'm in London right now, but I'll come home ASAP."

"Thanks." He hung up the phone. Cameron walked back out to where she and House had previously been eating.

"Greg, I'm really sorry, but I have to go back to the US. There are some family things back there, and they need me to be there. I'm so sorry."

"No, don't be sorry! Come on. Let's go pack up and get tickets. Family is what really matters."

"Greg, you don't have to go back-"

"I'm coming, whether you like it or not." He stood up, paid the ticket, and hailed a cab. "You coming?" Cameron nodded and followed. She had wanted him to come with her, but had never expected him to do it voluntarily. Within four hours House had found and purchased tickets to New York, they had gotten everything packed, and were off to the airport. Within three days, she would be home.

**Okay, you know what to do! Hit that blue/purple (depends on resolution) button down there and tell me what you think! My poor little inbox is getting very empty, and the more reviews the more I'm motivated:-D later on in **


	10. Welcome Home

**Hello! Glad to get all the reviews I did, though I know there could be more… Ah well. There should be a special place in heaven for all people who take the time to review. You are loved, soo much! Well, on with the next chappie! (If it gets confusing, just send me a message and I'll try to clarify.)**

**Chapter Ten:**

**Welcome Home**

Three days later – Monday:

House and Cameron had arrived safely at Jacob and Lexi's house late that night. Everyone except Jacob was asleep. He had greeted them quietly, and led them to their room. His daughter hadn't arrived yet, much to Jacob and Allison's dismay.

-----------------

Tuesday-

"Would you turn the music down, or even better, off?" Chase was messing with the stereo on Skye's bug. He had insisted on coming with, and Skye didn't have a good reason to refuse. Currently a Bright Eyes song was playing really loudly.

"Fine…" He turned it off. "Don't you have any good artists?"

"Hey, Norah Jones, Bright Eyes, Fiona Apple, and The Fray are _great_ artists, and I don't listen to _good_ artists." Skye rolled her eyes at him. Thanks to him, she had been able to relax a little bit.

Chase pulled out a CD from his duffel. He popped it in. Suddenly classic music started playing, and Skye did everything to not burst out laughing. Chase blushed and put another CD in. Some strange music started to play. There wasn't much singing, and after a minute she found she liked it.

"Who is it?"

"Lullatone. Very relaxing. My sister likes it."

"Not bad."

-----------------

About six hours later, around seven pm:

Skye's bug had pulled into the driveway of her old home. Her family had always called it "home," no matter if they had lived there or not. It was where her great-great-grandmother had lived almost all of her life. It was a tiny little green home, recently remodeled, in a very small town in North Dakota. It was a five-bedroom home, about an hour away from a town with a restaurant, hospital, and shopping areas. The only things remaining in the this town was the grain mill, some farms, a couple worn-out homes, an elementary school, a grocery store, and a gas station. Everybody in the town knew everything about everybody. It was kinda creepy. The lights were on in the house, and Skye saw her dad move from the window. She could see her aunt Allison sitting in one of the chairs, and a man that looked vaguely familiar in one of the other chairs. Her dad quickly opened the door and rushed over as soon as she stepped out of the car. They hugged, exchanged a few words, and then he looked over at Chase, who was just getting out of the car.

"Oh, dad, this is my friend, Robert Chase. We work together. And yes, I asked him to come with, and no, we are not sleeping together." Skye knew her father so well. Chase walked up and shook the man's hand. "Chase, this is my dad, Jacob. Just call him Jake." Chase nodded and Jacob smiled at him. Skye looked at the door and saw her aunt walk out.

"Al!" Skye ran over and hugged her aunt.

"Hey, Skye! How was the ride?"

"Great, oh, I brought a friend. I think you'll really like him."

"Smart girl." Cameron said as she walked over to where the car was. "You'll need one." Cameron remembered how much she needed someone when her mom died. Skye led her over and Allison smiled when she saw Chase.

"Chase." She was smiling.

"Cameron." He smiled back.

"Well, this is just going to be one big PPTH reunion… Foreman here too?" Skye smiled and shook her head.

"You worked at PPTH, too?"

"Yep. You're my replacement." Skye stared at her.

"Wait, you said a big reunion… So is House here, too?" Cameron smiled and nodded. A few seconds later the thumping of a cane on the wood porch was heard. Chase shook his head. He hadn't expected House to show up too. _Wonder if Cuddy and Wilson will show up… _Suddenly a ball of curly, white, fluffy fur bounded out the door after House. The little dog's name was Ozzie. He and House had immediately bonded, and Ozzie loved House's giant tennis ball that he had decided to bring with.

"Wombat!" House feigned his excitedness to see him. Ozzie was busy sniffing out Chase.

"House."

"Didn't think you'd be coming…" He looked at Skye, and then Chase.

"Greg, Skye is my niece." Quickly Ozzie got bored and decided to sniff out Skye, who he hadn't seen in over a year. She smiled and picked him up.

He looked at her. They were only a few years apart! "How many years are between you two?"

"Umm, about four, I think." Skye looked at her father.

"Yep, there's only four years between them. We adopted Skye when she was fifteen, we were thirty, and Allison was nineteen. Skye's twenty-four and Al's twenty-eight. There's a ten year age difference between me and my little sister."

"Is mom at Bismarck? Grand Forks?" Skye was looking at her dad.

He shook his head. "She's in Minot. We know the doctors there. She'll die surrounded by people she knows. That's better than a bigger hospital, with people who could care less." Her mom was a nurse, and everyone loved her at the hospital she worked at.

"When can we go see her?"

"Tomorrow. But let's get you unpacked for starters, alright?" Skye nodded and Cameron grabbed three bags, again much to House's surprise.

"What? I'm strong, okay?" She rolled her eyes at the two men staring at her. Her brother was used to it, as he had been attacked a couple times by his little sister, and he had been pretty banged-up. She started walking back to the house. Skye set down Ozzie, and took the other three, also much to the shock of Chase and House. She shook her head at the guys.

"Volleyball. Junior high to senior year. Get pretty strong arms." Skye followed her aunt, leaving House and Chase silent. The ladies didn't look all the strong, but apparently they were. By eleven, everyone was asleep; Ozzie snuggled in between House and Cameron. Tomorrow the rest of the family should be arriving. Cameron and Skye both could be happier if they didn't come, as most of their family wanted the girls to become nurses or teachers. And none of them would approve at _all_ of the girls' current relationship statuses. But that was tomorrow. Tonight, they'd all just sleep.

**Yes, the towns mentioned are totally real, the names might be used next chappie.. But prepare for an hour long car ride with House, Cameron, Chase, Skye, Ozzie, Jacob, and maybe some others, all in one car... :-D R&R please, you have no idea how great it makes me feel...**


	11. Makeup, Cancellations, and Car Rides

**Wow, I had soo much fun writing this first part that I kinda forgot about my car ride promise. But, I made the chappie really long, and it's in here! (I know some people might think they should be mourning, but the mom isn't dead yet, and I just couldn't resist.) Enjoy! **

**Chapter Eleven:**

**Makeup, Cancellations, and Car Rides**

House woke up to the smell of pancakes, and something licking his face. He opened his eyes and saw Ozzie trying to get him to wake up. He groaned and rolled out of bed, Ozzie wagging his tail happily. He walked out of the bedroom to find Cameron and Skye giggling madly. They both looked up at him, and then they just burst out laughing. There was a huge plate of pancakes on the table, complete with pitchers of orange juice and milk. House glared at them, trying to figure out what was so funny. Suddenly Chase came out from his room, and House started laughing. Late last night, House had snuck in and put make-up all over Chase's face. It was too hard to resist. But as soon as Chase looked at House, he burst out laughing. What neither one knew was that Skye had been awake when House came in and put the make-up Chase's face. So, Skye had waited until she was sure House was back in bed and asleep, and then she snuck into his room, woken up her aunt, and together they had put little bows and hairclips (left over from when they had a three-year-old foster daughter living in the house) in House's hair, done his make-up, including bright pink lipstick on the top lip, and bright green on the bottom (left over from multiple Halloweens). They had also tied little bows on his cane.

"Nice hair!" Chase said between breaths. That made House shut up, causing the girls to laugh harder. Cameron was almost crying.

"Nice eyebrows." House had taken an eyebrow pencil and drawn elaborate spirals and flowers. Chase stared at him wide-eyed before rushing to the bathroom, House following. Suddenly, as if they were thinking the same thing, they both yelled at the girls; House at Cameron, and Chase at Skye, causing both ladies to walk over.

Cameron took a deep breath before trying to explain. "Greg snuck into your room last night and put the make-up on your face…" Cameron started laughing again. Both men were staring (well, House was glaring) at her, making the make-up look even funnier.

Skye continued: "And I was still awake, so a while later I snuck into your room, woke up Al, and together we did your makeup." As soon as she saw House's glare she burst out laughing. Chase smiled at the two ladies that were almost doubled-over with laughter.

"Thank you. You guys are awesome." Skye smiled back at him.

"Welcome… And anyways, this was well worth it." Suddenly Chase made a beeline to the bedroom. Everybody just stared at the door until he emerged a moment later with shampoo, clothes, and some towels. House glared at him.

"Now, if you don't mind, I'm going to take a shower." House walked out of the bathroom.

"You girls are going to pay." House said before limping off to the bedroom. Cameron and Skye shared a smiled before going back to check on the muffins. Moments later Jacob walked out of his bedroom.

"Mmm… smells good, girls. I've missed your cooking." He walked out into the kitchen and took a muffin from the tray that had just been taken from the oven.

"Hey, leave the muffins alone! We have to feed the whole family, you know." Cameron swatted his hand with a spatula. He grinned at his little sister.

"Where are the boys?" Cameron and Skye shared a glance, and then Cameron explained.

"Well, Robert," previously they had all decided to call each other by their first names, "is in the shower, and I think Greg is asleep." Cameron said, covering everything up. Her brother wouldn't much like it if his little sister was aiding his daughter in the prank committed. Skye turned her back to her father so he couldn't see her grinning. Suddenly Chase emerged from the bathroom, hair dried and fully dressed. The makeup was totally gone from his face. He smiled as he, too, took a muffin. This time Skye was the one wielding the pain-inducing spatula. Suddenly the main phone rang and Jacob went over to answer it. After a few moments he turned around with a sad look on his face.

"That was Aunt Christie, they won't be able to make it up here. So I guess it will be just us." If Aunt Christie couldn't come, then no one else would, as Christie spoke for over half of the family.

"Well, think about it dad, they are in California… And they all have big jobs. But hey, let's just get some breakfast and then go see mom, okay?" Skye tried to feign her sadness about the fact that they wouldn't be able to come. She was so happy that they wouldn't be happy. One side of the family was very traditional. They thought that women being doctors and not marrying by the age of thirty was just wrong. Her dad nodded his head.

"Hey, didn't a new make-your-own stuffed animal shop just open up? Maybe we could stop there first." Cameron suggested. She had seen it in the newspaper. Everyone nodded in agreement (House wondered if he could get a stuffed rat, he could imagine all the pranks that he could set up…), and sat down to breakfast.

About an hour and a half later:

"Shotgun!" Chase was staring at the car they were all going to fit in. It was huge, it could seat up to seven. Jacob was already getting into the driver's seat, and Skye and Cameron rushed to the way back of the car. That's where they had always had to sit, and they had written little notes all over the seat in front of them. House, who had showered, decided to sit in front of them, as the other choice was sitting between the two girls.

As soon as the car started moving, he could hear giggles behind him. Skye had just pointed out something that Cameron had written, about two years ago, about Chase. There was a heart with "I love Chase's hair!" in it.

"Did you really like his hair?" Skye whispered to her aunt, though it was loud enough for House to hear.

"Still do." At this House turned around.

"Whose hair?"

"Robert's!" Skye exclaimed, getting a glare from her aunt.

"What?" He turned around, but after seeing the glare on House's face he decided to go back to reading his book.

"Skye! Look at this one!" Cameron pointed to a little marking. It had little tallies; Cameron and Skye would always mark the times when they weren't sure if they'd make it to their destination. "When did you add this one?" House soon became uninterested in what they were discussing, so he listened to his iPod. As soon as he turned it on, very soft, gentle music started playing. Definitely _not_ Rolling Stones.

"Allison!" House turned back around and glared at her.

"What did I do now?"

"My iPod! You changed the songs!"

"How? I haven't had access to a computer." Cameron rolled her eyes. W_hy am I the one who always does everything? Robert could have done it… He brought with his computer. _ Skye looked ahead and saw Chase turn around and wink at her.

"Well, then who did it?" Cameron had seen Chase turn around and tried to keep a straight face.

"Well, Ozzie is a smart dog." Suddenly, at the mention of his name, the little furball hopped out of House's bag.

"Oh, well hello, Ozzie! How are you on this fine day? You didn't mess with my iPod, now did you?" The dog cocked his head at House. "No, you didn't? Well, I never believed Allison, but I had to make sure that she was lying. I'm sorry, Oz." House glared back at Cameron. "How dare you! Blame the ones who can't defend themselves. And a poor little puppy at that!" House picked up Ozzie and put his head on the back of the chair, so that Cameron could perfectly see his adorable face. "I thought you liked animals!" Ozzie tried to paw Cameron's face.

"I only said you were a smart puppy, Ozzie. Don't listen to him. He's just mad because he doesn't have his Rolling Stones." Cameron ruffled the fur on the dog's head.

"Why's Ozzie in the car, anyways?" Skye asked.

"He was giving Greg the puppy-dog face and being the giant marshmallow he is he just couldn't stand leaving the dog alone." Chase didn't turn around as he said it. He could feel House's glare.

"I did not, and I am not a marshmallow! I'm far to tan and muscular. And Ozzie just decided to fall asleep in my bag-"

"And you just couldn't stand to wake up the poor puppy." Cameron cut in, playing with the dog's paws.

"No, he wouldn't move."

"Well, either way proves that you're just a big softie, but at least mom will like to see him." Skye smiled fondly at the dog. Her mom had picked him out, and her dad thought it was a dumb idea at the time, but it was apparent that he loved the dog a lot. Ozzie playfully barked at Cameron, who was playing with his paws.

Deciding that it would be best to just give up the fact that he was a big softie, as he was against three people and a dog, House pulled out his GameBoy and turned it on. _At least this works…_ But, after playing with it for a few minutes it shut off. Ozzie had decided that House was too boring and went over to play with the girls behind him.

"Hey dad, about how much longer do we have?" Skye asked her father.

"Well, from Plaza to Minot is about an hour and we've been driving for about thirty-five minutes so-"

"It's about another twenty minutes. You could have just said that."

"Just making sure you still know your math."

Skye rolled her eyes. "Of course I do dad!"

After a few minutes of silence, House heard a Rolling Stones song coming from Chase's seat. House threw a pen at him to get his attention. Chase turned down the music (which had been purposely loud) and looked at House.

"What?"

"You changed the songs on my iPod!"

"What?" Chase tried to act like he had no idea what was going on. Thankfully the girls were too consumed with Ozzie to notice what was going on, or else they may have started to laugh.

"You changed the songs on my iPod. Need I say it any slower?"

"No I didn't."

"Well, Allison didn't, Skye wouldn't dare as she just started working for me-" that got an angry "hey!" from Skye, who took it as an insult, as she would do it, whether she just started working for him or not, "and Ozzie couldn't, so that leaves you!"

"You're mad. Why would I do that?"

"I don't know _why_ but I know that you did! You all better watch your backs… All of you! Except you, Jacob. So far you're safe." Jacob smiled at that.

"Well then, as the only 'safe' on here, I think I can safely say that I would like some peace and quiet until we get to town." And slightly under his breath he added, "I don't know how you all managed to work together." House wasn't big on the idea, but he complied. Chase was smirking, knowing that he would be pulling some more tricks on House very soon, and with the aid of both girls and a dog the softie would have a very, very, fun, stay. Cameron and Skye shared a smile, knowing that even though they were "in trouble" the pranks wouldn't be anything they couldn't pay back. And Ozzie, well, Ozzie was just plain excited to be surrounded by all these people. Within fifteen minutes, they would be in Minot, and would be able to get out of the car.

**R&R please! Can we make it to 100 reviews before chapter thirteen:-D**


	12. Almost There

**Hey people! How's it going? Hopefully well. The towns, places, even Skye's old house are real (well, it was; it burned down last year). Really, every place used in the story at this point will be real, however I might change up some of the rules/conditions of the places. So, if you ever venture to North Dakota, go and check out Minot! It's a cool town, and Plaza really is nothing. I kept that place pretty real. Even Ozzie's real. Enjoy!**

** Chapter Twelve**

**Almost There**

Soon the car had arrived in Minot. Jacob was amazed that everyone could stand working together. They had been silent the rest of the ride into town, excluding Ozzie who had been yipping at Allison.

"So, where to?" Jacob asked, looking at the passengers via rear-view mirror.

"Well, I'm hungry." Skye noted, plopping Ozzie on Allison's lap.

"I second that." Allison added, smiling as the once-sleeping ball of fluff tried to figure out how he got onto her lap. She glanced up, only to find that Greg was asleep. She smiled and plopped the now-protesting Ozzie onto his lap. When Ozzie looked up and realized that it was his buddy Greg's lap, he happily jumped up and started licking his face. Greg groaned and pushed the dog away. After repeating this a couple times, Ozzie was getting annoyed and gently bit his finger. That got him up. He glared at the little dog, who, seeing that his friend was awake, happily jumped up and licked his face.

"Annoying dog..." He picked up the dog and set him back on Allison's lap.

"Hey!" Allison held up Ozzie, giving Greg the perfect view of the dog's face. "I thought you liked Ozzie! You were standing up for him and all, and now he just wants you to wake up so he can play with you, and what do you do? You call him annoying and hand him to me!" Allison sighed, and it was very clear she was over-acting, but Greg was drifting back off to sleep. "Wilson's here!" That got him up.

"What? Where?" He started looking around for him. He knew that if Wilson ever saw him like this, in a car with everyone and all, he would never hear the end of it, and if he was found she would come looking for him and not leave until he went back to the hospital. He was enjoying his break way too much to just go back now.

"Nowhere. We're gonna get some lunch. You hungry? Or are we just going to leave you here to starve?"

"You will not be leaving me here to starve."

"And why not?"

"'Cause you like me too much."

"True." Allison smiled at his little remark.

"So, where are we eating, then? We don't have many places that you wouldn't have, I don't think. Homesteaders is a ways out, there's the usual, Subway, Burger King, a few Chinese places..." Jacob was trying to remember all the places. "There's a new Mexican place... And then Taco John's..."

"Why don't we just eat at that little cafe downtown?" Allison suggested. Skye nodded her approval.

"Not the Greenhouse, the other place. That okay?" Her dad nodded. Soon they were off to get some lunch.

-----------------

About an hour and a half later:

Everyone was stuffed. The food had been delicious, and Ozzie had been very well-behaved. The people running the cafe had allowed Ozzie to come in, as long as he was on someone's lap at all times. That proved to be a little difficult, but in the end everything was fine, and Ozzie had even got to have a fry or two.

"Well, should we go check out the stuffed animal place now?" Skye asked. She was wanted to get her mom something cute to keep with her while she was in the hospital. Her dad nodded and scooted out of the booth. Next came Robert, then Skye, then Allison, and lastly Greg, who had gotten the job of monitoring Ozzie. Ozzie licked his face. The little dog was making Greg want his own puppy. Soon enough, they had paid the tab and were piled into the car.

-----------------

"WHAT!?" Cuddy was staring at a note on the conference door to the Diagnostics Department. 

Dr. Cuddy,  
I'm very sorry, but my mother is dying and I should be there with her, so I am taking two weeks off, as I must travel to North Dakota. I should be back within the two weeks, and if anything happens you can always call me. Chase has offered to come along, though I'm not certain why. :-) Again, if you need me you have my cell phone number.  
-TTYL, Skye and Chase

Wilson just happened to be walking by when she had her little outburst.

"They're all fired!" She was glaring at the note, a little pink Post-It with stripes. Clearly Skye's.

"Who's all fired?" Wilson stopped.

"Them! All of them! They all took vacations at the same time! Are they trying to do this?"

"Whoa, calm down! Let me see the note." After Cuddy handed it to him, he chuckled at what it said.

"Well, maybe they're all taking a vacation togeth-" A moment too late he realized what he had said.

"They wouldn't, would they? Wouldn't they invite you to come with?" Cuddy had calmed considerably; she was thinking of them all vacationing together, without even telling her.

"No, I don't think they're vacationing together. It just slipped out. House could stand vacationing with Cameron, but not Skye and definitely not Chase." Cuddy seemed to look relieved.

"Well, I should call her then. Check up on her mom, and see if she is with House and Cameron." Cuddy pulled out her cell and looked for Skye's number. Soon the phone was ringing.

-----------------

Skye was loving watching Greg and Allison argue. They were currently fighting over whether the fact that you got to put a little heart in the stuffed animal was a good thing or just plain stupid. She was browsing through some of the unstuffed animals, trying to find one for her mother. Suddenly her phone rang. 

"Hello?"

"Skye? This is Lisa."

"Oh, hi! Is there a patient?"

"No, not yet, but I was just calling-"

"Well, little kids like giving their animals a heart! You might not think that it's worth doing now, but it's for the little kids who come in here!" Cuddy heard Allison's voice, even though Skye wasn't standing that close to them.

"It's not even in the shape of a real heart! They're misleading all the kids in the world!" Now she heard Greg's comeback.

"Did I just hear House and Cameron?" Cuddy asked.

"Uh, yeah, they're fighting about something involving hearts and stuffed animals. Why?"

"Because I've been trying to get a hold of them for a while... Wait, what are they doing in North Dakota? I thought they were in London!"

"They were. Al's my aunt. Greg insisted that she come, and that he come with. It's nice, really. He really cares-" Suddenly Skye stopped. "about all of us." She was going to tell her he cared about Allison, but decided against it. "Even Rob, a little bit. Probably just because he's my friend and I'm related to Al and all." Skye wished she hadn't said it. She immediately knew it was the wrong thing to say.

"I'm not saying you have to get a heart, I'm just saying you can!" Skye rolled her eyes at the couple. Robert and Jacob were leaning against a wall just watching the two bicker.

"Oh, well, okay then. Any idea when you will all be back?"

"Well, I'm guessing that Rob and I will be back in about two weeks, like the note said, and I have no idea about Greg and Al. Sorry."

"Okay, that's all then. And I'm sorry to hear about your mother. Goodbye." Cuddy hung up the phone. Skye looked at her phone for a moment, puzzled by her reaction. She closed her phone, and saw the perfect stuffed animal. It looked just like Ozzie. She picked it up, and found it was Ozzie. She smiled down at the sleeping pup in her hands, and picked out the one that was next to him. She had no idea how Ozzie managed to get up there, or blend in so well, but she was glad she had found him before they left. She took the to-be-stuffed animal to the area filled with stuffing. She stuffed the dog, and found it did look a lot like Ozzie. She smiled at the stuffed animal. Her mom would love it. Suddenly Robert was behind her.

"I think we need to get them out of here." He motioned to where Greg and Allison were arguing. They were still on the subject of the heart. She smiled, nodded, and walked up to pay. Within ten minutes they were finally ready to see Lexi.

**R&R please! (Ten reviews would make me the happiest writer on the face of the planet, and happy writers write faster!!!) **


	13. Meetings

**Hello! How's it going? Hopefully well. There may be a delay in updates, as I'm helping out one of my friends on one of her stories (non-fanfic, link in profile), and typing another friend's story (also non-fanfic, link in profile), messing around with my own non-fanfic, working on the story I haven't updated in weeks, cleaning my room (mom's orders!), and putting together two computers. Sorry!**

**Now, for those who enjoy reading this fic, have added it to alerts/favorites, but have never taken the time to review, you all ought to be thanking saz86, Scarlett O' Haraa, sweetgruey, LittleDragonfly23, Anon.Y.Mouse, mikesh, and SilvaK, for it's their continued support that keeps me writing. And my annoying muse (Fred), but an annoying Fred just isn't enough to post a new chapter. Thanks **_**so**_** much for the continued support! You should also be thanking Anna Nalick (the singer), for her music is what inspired me to write (killer case of writer's block).**

**Chapter Thirteen**

**Meetings**

The hospital wasn't beautiful, not by any means. On the outside it was just concrete. It was about seven floors high, with a basement. After finally finding a parking spot, the group walked into the hospital. The sky had become very overcast, and the air had chilled considerably. There was a pump older woman sitting behind the reception desk. As soon as she saw Greg carry Ozzie in she immediately stood up and confronted the group. As soon as she blocked the way to the elevator, Ozzie started to growl.

"What do you think you're doing, bringing that _thing_ in here!? This is a prestigious hospital! You don't just bring _mutts_ in here." She glared at them, Skye stifling a laugh.

"Well, for your information, this dog isn't a mutt, more like a half Maltese half poodle mix. He's a very well trained guard dog, and a patient specifically asked to see him. And this 'thing,' his name is Ozzie." Greg glared at the woman. No one messed with Ozzie and got away with it. "And I am armed with a cane, and trust me, I know how to use it. And this-" he gestured around "-isn't a 'prestigious' hospital." It was true. The chairs looked old, and were hard as rock, probably from the late eighties, the walls were a pale pink; the carpet was a shade of bluish-green. It was pretty bad, compared to PPTH.

"Well, just because _this_ part isn't prestigious, doesn't mean the other three parts aren't. Trinity is a big thing around here, only hospital in the whole city. Owns lots of buildings." The lady still didn't move from in front of the door, though she did glance warily at Greg's cane. Allison laughed at the "whole city" thing. The town wasn't that big, after all. There weren't many more people than 37,000, and compared to Princeton, that wasn't very much. Suddenly the elevator door opened and a doctor stepped out. He had unruly red hair, lean build, and animated green eyes.

"Clara, you're in my way." He politely addressed the receptionist. She immediately turned around, blushing.

"Oh, hi, Doctor Mathers! I'm so sorry, I was just trying to get these people to understand that you do not bring pets into the hospital." She smiled sweetly at the man. He looked at the group, immediately seeing Allison.

"Allie! How are you?" He walked right up to her and gave her a killer hug. Greg eyed the man.

"Well, Ty, if you want me to live, I need air." Ty immediately let her go. "Thanks. And I'm fine. You?"

"Great." He smiled at her, and then noticed Skye in the background. "Well, if it isn't Skye! Come up here and give me a hug!" Skye smiled (somewhat reluctantly) and walked up to give him a hug, but instead of letting him hug her 'till she couldn't breathe, she hugged him, leaving him asking for air.

"Jeeze, Skye! Missed your hugs. And you're Greg House, am I correct?" He turned to face Greg, holding a still growling Ozzie. He stuck out a hand, but Greg didn't take it.

"That I am." He still was eyeing Ty.

"Beware of the cane… And the dog." Allison added. Even Jacob chuckled at that. Ty withdrew his hand, and noticed Robert.

"Well, and you must be Robert Chase!" He stuck out his hand, and Robert, trying to impress Skye (who he had grown very fond of, even though they were still just friends), took it. He was a little puzzled at how this man knew his name.

"Aren't you all missing someone? Or did you decide to get rid of him?" Ty asked. "Umm… Erik Foreman?"

"Oh, he's back at PPTH. Why?" Skye asked.

"Well, I just assumed you were all here on a case, or are you all okay without him?" This time he was looking directly at Greg.

"Not here on a case." Greg wrapped an arm around Allison's waist, taking her by surprise. "We're running from the dean."

Allison rolled her eyes. "_He_ is. I just tagged along to make sure he didn't waste all his money on hookers or kill someone with his cane." Ozzie, now being close to Allison, licked her arm. "And how do you know of us?"

"Well, I know _you_ for other reasons, but there was a big article about you in some journal. Saved the kid of some guy who owns the thing. Big article, lots of pictures." Robert, Allison, and Greg all shared a look.

"But, no one ever took pictures of us. We never did a photo shoot or anything." Robert piped in.

"Well, either way, they called you the greatest medical team in the U.S."

"Not anymore." Greg noted. That got him a surprised look from everyone, except Jacob, who had gone over to discuss something with the receptionist by her desk.

"Why not?" Ty was surprised.

"She-" Greg gestured to Allison with the hand holding Ozzie, receiving an angry bark, "-left." Ty stared at her.

"Why?"

"Bored." Allison didn't dare discuss the real reason. "And Skye wanted the job." Skye smiled at Ty. Suddenly his pager beeped. He glanced down at it.

"Well, it's been great talking to you, but I have to go now. You two," he looked at Robert and Greg. "Take good care of them." He smiled at Allison and Skye before leaving.

"Well, are you guys ready?" Jacob had reappeared.

"Let's go." Skye pressed the button, and after a moment the elevator had returned. They all got in, and Ozzie started growling again.

"I think he's scared of elevators." Robert noted.

"Well, he came down an elevator when we first bought him, and it was the first time being separated from his mom." Skye replied, pressing the "5" button. The elevator started moving.

"Glad that Ty had to leave… He would have asked us questions _forever_." Skye shook her head.

"Yeah, he could have." Allison agreed.

"How did you two know him?" Robert asked.

"Well, Al dated him-"

"For a week! Okay? I couldn't stand that man…"

"And he had a thing for me. Major thing. But he was to crazy about Al to make a move." Skye grinned at her aunt.

"Well, at least he's married now. I should be safe." That got her a puzzled look from all three men. "He was practically stalking me. Flowers, cards, the works. There'd even be movie tickets on my doorstep. Very freaky. And that was _after_ I broke up with him for being too annoying. I even told him that's why I broke up with him." She sighed. "I wonder how his wife survives…" Suddenly the elevator beeped and the doors opened, revealing a waiting room of sorts. Two tiny black TVs; with a couch and three chairs, all a strange shade of blue. There was still the blue-green carpeting, but the walls had changed to white with a wooden stripe running through the center of the walls. There were two huge double doors, behind them a small nurse's station, and a long hallway with at least twenty rooms on either side. They group walked down the hall, which had a white tile, to room 516. Skye was the first to go in, the rest allowing her to see her mother alone. After a moment, Skye reappeared, wondering why they didn't come in.

"Are you coming or not?" Skye looked happy enough, but everyone could tell that she was having a very hard time. Everyone nodded (Greg lifted Ozzie's chin) and walked in.

Lexi looked healthy enough. The sparkle from her hazel eyes had faded, she was a bit thinner, but otherwise she looked like the Lexi Allison remembered so well. Her dark red hair spilled over her shoulders, still the wavy hair that was one of her best traits. She was holding some book, but had set it down when she saw the rest of the group enter. Ozzie yipped happily and Skye took him from Greg's arm and set him on her mom's bed. He immediately jumped up and licked her face, a joyful laugh emitting from Lexi. The night that Robert and Skye had arrived, her father had told them that it was a brain tumor, and there was nothing that anyone could do to remove it. She would die painlessly within the next few days, the doctor had said. She looked up at everyone, happy that she would see them before she died. She realized that Christie wasn't here, but as she didn't really like her sister, that was all the better.

"So, you must be the famous Doctor Gregory House." She smiled warmly at Greg.

"No one else could make a cane look so good." He smiled back at her. Skye sat down in the chair next to her mom's bed.

"And you must be Robert Chase. Or as my daughter calls you, the great-haired-koala." Robert was a bit surprised that Skye told her mom about him. "Surprised that I know your nickname? When she moved I made her promise to tell me about everyone she worked with. If I couldn't meet them, I wanted to know everything about them." Robert nodded.

"Um, if you don't mind, I'll think I'll go grab some coffee…" Allison looked at Greg and Robert, making sure they got the idea.

"And I think I'll go get some too." Greg glared at Robert, who wasn't sure what was going on. He seemed to understand now.

"And I'll go with, because I can't trust him with my coffee." With that, the three of them left the room to let Skye see her mom.

As soon as they were out of earshot Robert asked: "Why did we go? I haven't seen a coffee maker anywhere…"

Allison sighed. "Just to let her be alone with her mom for a while. And I'm sure there's a coffee pot somewhere. And if we have to go to the nurses' lounge, so be it. With our apparent 'fame' I'm sure they'll be honored to have us drink their coffee." It was true. Everyone working on the fifth floor must have read the article. Most of the men had stopped to look at Allison, while a good chunk of the ladies has taken a break to look at Robert's hair. There was a very nervous nurse following them. Greg and Robert were totally oblivious, but Allison knew the moment she started following them.

Suddenly she stopped. "Yes?" She spun around to look at the woman.

"Well, I was wondering… Could you maybe sign this? All of you? Please? I have a daughter who adores you. You saved her cousin." She held up a copy of a journal, and a purple Sharpie.

"What's her name?"

"Beth." Allison smiled and signed her name, leaving a little note. She handed it to Robert, who signed and then passed it on to Greg, who signed and handed it back to the woman.

"Thank you so much! She'll be so happy." The woman smiled and walked away.

"Why did we do that?" Greg asked.

"Because it's a nice thing to do." Allison stated. They turned a corner to find a coffee pot. "Now, who wants coffee?"

-----------------

Jacob had excused himself, saying he needed to use the restroom, leaving Skye alone with her mother.

"Skye… What did you do to your hair?" Her mother was staring at the long, dark brown locks that were accented with blonde and crimson streaks.

"Just added a few highlights." Skye smiled at her mother.

"So, why did you bring Robert here? Getting my approval before I'm gone?" Skye winced at the "gone" part.

"No, he's just a friend. He insisted he come with."

"'Just a friend'?" Lexi looked at her daughter skeptically, a smile lightly appearing on her lips.

"Mom!" Skye blushed lightly.

"So he is more than a friend!" Her mother grinned.

"No, he's not."

"But you wish he was!" Lexi laughed at her daughter's reaction. She could remember feeling the same way, not too many years ago.

"No!" Skye's blush deepened.

"Oh, sweetie, it's okay. He does have great hair."

"Mom!"

**So, leaving it at a happy note… (smiles) Hope you enjoyed! Please do check out the other stories if you have time… Just don't tell them I sent you… ;-D**

**Okay, you know what to do! Hit that blue/purple (depends on resolution) button down there and tell me what you think! My poor little inbox is getting very empty, and the more reviews the more I'm motivated:-D**


	14. Talking About Stuff

**WOO!!! We hit the one-month, one hundred reviews, ten thousand plus hits, ten favorites mark!! So, in honor of my love of the story (and my faithful fans… love ya!), I've typed a 2,397-word (I was going to do 10,000, but my brain is waging a war with Writer's Block) chapter, and man was that work! But, I hope you all enjoy. This will (hopefully) make up for the delays… (And we are camping, so there's no internet connection, so I'm just finding random coffee shops with connection.)**

**  
And on a sadder note: I plan on finishing this fic up in less than five chapters, and there will be an awards ceremony. But I will be starting another one, hopefully soon, that will not be a sequel, and will be more angsty (seems like I write the best when it's angst). Anyways, enjoy! (And what happens to the team is what would probably happen in Minot... at least if me and my friends were around...)**

**  
Disclaimer: I do not own anyone you regconize from House, M.D., however, I do own Ozzie, Skye, Lexi, and the other doctors. My family still owns the lot where the house Skye was raised in was, too. You can come and visit!**

**Chapter 14**

**Talking about Stuff**

Cuddy was sitting in her office, cup of coffee on her desk untouched. She had been trying to figure out what was going on. House hates seeing patients, family, just people in general! And he insisted on going with Cameron? 

"Hey, how'd the phone call go?" Wilson had appeared in front of her desk.

Cuddy looked up at him. "Why didn't you knock?"

"I did. Ten times." He lowered himself into a chair.

"Oh. I'm sorry, I was just thinking."

"About House?"

"About the whole team, in general. I wonder if Foreman's on his way there, too."

Wilson chuckled. "Somehow I doubt that."

"Well, I doubted that House would ever want to meet anyone's family, and then he goes off insisting to meet Cameron's."

"Maybe she took his Vicoden. That would make him to most anything." Wilson could see the scenario in his head. Cameron just walking out with his Vicoden, going back home, leaving him stranded. He chuckled. The joke flew right over Cuddy's head.

"I don't know. Remember when my mother came? I wanted him to meet her, and he wouldn't even listen as soon as I started talking about her." Cuddy looked out of the glass wall, seeing her new secretary hopelessly trying to get through the paperwork. So far the new guy had lasted about a week.

"Well, maybe he just didn't want to be alone in London." Improbable as that was, he was just trying to make her feel better.

"Maybe. And then there's the fact that Cameron and Skye are related." Wilson stared at her. He hadn't known that.

"What?"

She turned back to him. "Oh, I didn't tell you? They're related. Cameron is Skye's aunt."

"No, you didn't tell me." Wilson tried to picture the family tree.

"Sorry. I've had lots on my mind lately. Like finding replacements."

Wilson looked up at that. "Replacements? For House and his team?"

"Well, he hasn't guaranteed the fact that he's coming back. I'm not planning on replacing Chase or Foreman or even Skye, but House…"

"You can't just fire him! He's famous now! Keeping him will guarantee more patients - more patients, more money."

This time Cuddy looked up. "Famous?"

"What, you didn't know?" Cuddy's face remained blank. "Some journal did a big thing about him. Cover story. Some patient took pictures of them. Big story about him and his team. That was before Cameron left, though."

"What journal did it?" Cuddy 's voice rose. Now she really couldn't fire House if he was famous, especially if a big journal covered them.

"Umm... I think it was the Medical Times Monthly. Brenda showed it to me." Wilson tried to remember what journal it was.

"You're kidding." Cuddy sighed. It wouldn't be a wise move to fire him now. "This is just spectacular." She took a sip of her coffee.

----------

"You like him." 

"Mom, we've been over this before!" Skye exclaimed. Her mother had this smug look on her face. They were still arguing about the fact that Skye and Robert were "just friends."

"I'm sorry sweetie, but he's a really great man and he's all yours."

Skye puzzledly looked up at her mom. "How do you know he's a great guy?"

"You just told me."

Skye groaned. 'Mom!"

---------

Greg was staring at Allison, who was reading a magazine. 

"What?" She looked up, feeling his eyes on her.

"You can forge my signature!"

"What?" Allison was confused.

"I don't have to sign their stupid papers anymore! You can sign for me."

"I know that I can, but who said I would?" Allison looked back down at her magazine.

"I said that you would." He poked her leg with his cane.

"And since when do I listen to you?"

"Since you work for me."

"Worked. I'm no longer paid to listen to you." She turned a page. Suddenly Robert appeared and plopped down on the couch. After thinking for a moment, he decided to move to a chair. Both Greg and Allison were looking at him.

"What?"

"You're hair." Allison noted. His hair was tousled, parts sticking up at odd angles. "And your face..." He had lipstick smeared all over his face. She was doing everything she could do to not laugh.

"I was attacked. The nurses, they had all ganged up and hid around the door to the bathroom, so when I came out they attacked me." When he saw the disbelieving looks on their faces he continued. "It's true. Watch out. I think the men are planning their attack."

Allison rolled her eyes. "Sure they are. Are you sure you're feeling okay?" She walked over to where he was sitting and put her hand on his forehead. "Nope, no fever. You look okay, minus the hair and lipstick." She ruffled his hair. Upon seeing the looks from both Greg and Robert she added: "I've always wanted to do that." She walked back to her chair and started reading again.

"Al, she wants to see you." Skye had emerged from her mom's room. Her eyes were slightly red. Allison nodded and walked over to her niece.

"Have fun, and whatever you do, don't forge Greg's signature." Skye's eyes widened as her aunt walked away.

Skye made her way to the couch. "What was that about? And what happened to you?"

-------

"Hey." Lexi saw her sister-in-law come in. Ozzie lifted his head from its resting place between his paws. The stuffed animal was sitting on the end table. 

"Hey." Allison sat down next to her.

"So, about Greg-"

"Are you ever going to stop trying to be a female Dr. Phil?" Allison grinned.

"Nope. Now, tell me all about him. Everything. I don't have much time here, but while I am here I am not going to allow my SIL to be with some good for nothing man." Allison smiled at her nickname. SIL meant sister-in-law, FIL was father-in-law, BIL was brother-in-law, MIL was mother-in-law, and DIL was daughter-in-law. Many years ago they had made them up, and still used them today.

"Well, where to start..." Lexi stared eagerly.

-------

"And that's how my face and hair got so messed up." Chase had just finished explaining the story again. Skye was laughing. He glared at her. "What? Don't believe me?" 

"No, I believe you. I'm guessing it was Mallory and Hannah. They probably plotted it all."

"You know the people who did this?" His eyes were wide.

"Yep, and they're standing right behind you." He turned around, eyes still wide, and was met by a blinding flash of light. The two women had each taken a picture of him.

"Mal, Han, leave the poor guy alone. I can get you plenty of shots of him later." Skye stood up and walked over to her friends, arms open. The two ladies hugged her back, giggling.

"Now, call off all your plans of attack. He's all mine." Skye ruffled her hair, smiling down at the now-glaring Robert. "Sorry," she mouthed. "Always wanted to do that." She grinned as the two women started whispering as they led Skye away.

-------

"Cuddy? Where is everybody?" Foreman was back from his vacation, standing in Cuddy's office. 

"Well, where to start. You might want to sit down." He sat down in one of the chairs facing her.

"You know that Cameron and House ran off to London, right?" He nodded. "Well, Skye and Chase went off to North Dakota for two weeks because Skye's mom is dying, and Chase insisted on coming. Cameron and Skye are aunt-and-niece, so now Cameron and House are in North Dakota, as House also insisted on coming along. And I've been thinking of firing House, but now he's world famous, so that wouldn't be a good idea, and I have a new secretary." Cuddy sighed.

"Wow." Foreman was trying to process all of that information.

"So, how do you feel about being the Chief of Diagnostics for a while?" Cuddy smiled weakly.

-------

"Greg, she wants to question you next." Allison had returned from Lexi's room. Skye had returned from greeting her old friends and was reading the same magazine that Allison had been reading earlier. 

"What? Does she work with the police? Crap, they've found me!" Robert's eyes became wide, thinking that had (finally) caught his boss for doing something illegal. Allison rolled her eyes, though she was smiling, as he limped over to see Lexi.

-------

"Welcome." Lexi smiled as Greg came in. 

"I was informed that you wanted to question me." He stated simply, sitting down in the chair. Ozzie lifted his head once again and barked happily at him.

"Of course I did! You're my daughter's boss and my sister-in-law's boyfriend! What kind of person do you think I am?" Lexi asked, voice filled with mock-anger. Greg chuckled.

"So, what are you interested about?"

------

"Aww! He's so adorable!" Skye was looking at a baby picture of someone she didn't know's kid. Apparently her mom was very popular around here, and with all of her friends, plus Skye's old friends, and then Allison and Robert's fans, there were lots of people in the waiting room. Robert was attacked by both men and women wondering about his hair. Skye was being shown everything from pictures to look at from journals to sign. Allison was ignoring the hoards of men that were wondering about how she could possibly survive working with Greg and if she wouldn't rather work with them. She had read through three magazines by the time Greg reappeared. 

"Off. Leave the poor wombat alone." Greg poked one of the ladies who was questioning him with his cane. She glared up at him, but did leave Robert alone, and the rest followed. He then moved over to where the man were asking about how she could stand him.

"Oh, trust me, she can stand me." He jabbed his cane at one of the men nearest to her. She didn't even look up. "See, I'm not really a cruel, cold-hearted doctor, am I?" He looked down at Allison.

"Depends on who you're around. And how much Vicoden you've taken and if you're trying to give yourself a headache. But not always. You've been a giant ball of friendly this trip. Especially when it comes to Ozzie." She turned a page. "And I'm perfectly fine taking care of myself."

"Then why are all these guys still hovering around you?"

"Because they aren't bothering me. I've learned to tune out voices, especially men's."  
"Well, even though she says she can take care of herself, shoo." He gestured for them to exit. They glared at him, smiled down at her, though she didn't look up, and exited. Now he walked over to where Skye was seated.

"Off. Must keep the baby duckling alive." There were at least ten people crowded around Skye. Some looked up and looked back down, continuing their chat with Skye. "I said off. As in leave her alone." Some of the people looked to Skye for help.

"Hey, he's my boss. Gotta listen to what he says." Skye faked an apologetic look. Some of them frowned, but all of them left. Greg sat down on the couch next to Allison.

"You're next." Greg gestured to Robert. He stood up and walked out, somewhat slowly, as if making sure that he wouldn't be attacked by more women.

"I think we should go and get ice cream after this." Skye had set down another magazine. Between her and her aunt they had read through all the magazines and had stacks of the good ones and the boring ones. "And then hit the mall. Shopping always makes me feel better."

"And I'll try my hand at the claw games." Allison set down another magazine. There was one more that she hadn't read.

--------

He had emerged into Lexi's room. Ozzie was fully asleep. 

"So, you dared to enter my interrogation room?" Lexi smiled up at him.

"Didn't think I had much of a choice. If you're anything at all like Skye you'd come and hunt me down until I came in." He smiled as he took the seat next to her.

"No, you didn't. I would have come and hunted you down, all right. Smart move. Now, onto the real reason you're here. I'm going to be gone soon, as you know, and someone needs to take care of Skye. Jacob means well, but if it wasn't for me he probably would have just now called her. He's forgetful." She sighed. "And she likes you. I know it. And I also know you like her. Why else would you have come along? You didn't really want to meet me, you just wanted to make sure she had someone's shoulder to cry on. You're smart, and though she may not act like it, she does. She's a very good actress. Fooled many teachers with her missing-homework excuses." She smiled remembering all of her daughter's techniques. "Please, take care of her for me. I will be watching you. And I'm not afraid to talk to God about shooting lightning bolts or something down on you." She grinned. "So, that is all. You may leave. All of you. And here-" she lifted up the ever-protesting Ozzie, "-you take him. He'll just sleep here. Get him to walk or something. Don't want him to get fat." She handed Robert the dog. He smiled and nodded.

"Don't worry, I'll take care of her."

"I know you will. And yes, this is the same thing I did to Greg, only it was about Al. But the conversations themselves I'm taking to the grave. And you can trust me on that." She meekly smiled at him. He smiled back.

"Thanks."

"For what? Trusting you with my daughter? No, you shouldn't be thanking me. You're the one who's stuck with her!" She grinned before gesturing Robert to leave.

-------

Skye was quiet when Robert came back. 

"You know, I think I'll pass on the ice cream. I need to think." She stood up, grabbing her purse. "Don't worry, I'll call a cab, stay safe, and be back before nightfall." She turned and walked out, Robert close behind.

"Well, I guess that just leaves us." Jacob had needed to run to work, something major had come up, so it was just Allison and Greg left. He smiled suggestively at her. She looked up, smiling back.

"What do you have in mind?"

**R&R please!**


	15. Power Outages are Fun

**Okay, here's another one. Had to babysit during naptime, so I had plenty of free time. As promised, House has some groupies. Four more chappies left... I think. Enjoy!**

**Chapter Fifteen**

**Power Outages are Fun **

The rain was pouring down. Skye stared out at the cloudy sky from her spot on the windowsill in the abandoned building. It used to be a home, but know it was worn down, and Skye had often found solace there. She jumped slightly as the thunder crashed around her. She barely noticed Robert come and sit down next to her. She shivered slightly. 

"She's really going be gone." She sniffed. "Can't you do something? A world-renowned doctor and his team should be able to do something!" Robert noticed her tears. She sniffed again. He handed her a Kleenex. She gladly took it.

"Skye, there's nothing we can do. I looked at her papers." Skye chuckled. She didn't know if it was true, but I was nice that he said it. "It's a brain tumor. Nothing we can do. If there was, we'd be doing it right now."

She looked up at him. "Thanks. I know there's nothing that can be done. I just wish there was. At least it won't be painful." She sighed. She had finally come to terms withher mom's impending death. Lightning streaked the sky, showing her tearstained face. After a second it was gone, and not two seconds later thunder roared again.

"Getting pretty close."

"Yeah, we should probably go." Skye stood up, right as lighting struck a tree in the backyard. "Maybe not."

Chase stared at the tree. It started on fire, but the heavy rain quickly extinguished it. Skye followed his stare.

"I guess we're stuck here." It was raining now that the tree, which was only about ten feet away, was no longer visible, and with the storm that close it wouldn't be safe to be outside. And suddenly the power went out.

-------

Darkness. Greg and Allison were stuck in darkness. Darkness and a hotel room. Thankfully, they were both dressed, and there was a cord phone in the room. 

"Well. This is fun." Greg was standing in bathroom - he had been checking out the place.

"What, don't like the dark?" Suddenly Allison was right behind him, whispering in his ear. Her arms wrapped around his waist.

He grinned. "Now I do."

-------

"Well, at least it's not cold." Skye and Robert had lit a small fire in the old fireplace. Skye knew the place by heart, and Robert had a lighter, so it wasn't too complicated. Skye's hair was very curly, as humidity always curled her hair. 

"Nice hair." Robert smiled. Her hair, which was usually pretty straight, sometimes a little curl at the ends, but now it was poofed up into curls.

"Thanks." She smiled. Somehow he always made her feel a little better. "Get used to it. But if you think this is curly, you should see it when it's wet and humid. I look like a poodle."

"Really? I'd like to see that."

"Trust me, you don't." She grinned at him.

"Yes I would. As soon as you help save a millionaire's kid, you'll be just as famous as the rest of us, and then I can sell the pictures for lots of money." Skye rolled her eyes.

"And I can sell those pictures of you with the makeup on..." His eyes grew wide.

"You wouldn't...!"

"Ah, but yes I would." She was grinning. She pulled out some photos from her purse. He didn't remember her ever taking them, but there they were. Pictures of him, with his makeup on. He looked a little closer and found he was sleeping. His eyes were wider.

"What the ! Why did you do that?"

"Because you're so cute when you're sleeping, hair covering the pillow. And then I have the one's where you're on your side, and then you have that thumb of yours pretty close to your mouth." She was really grinning now. "And then with the makeup, it was just too hard to pass up." Robert was glaring at her. Suddenly he changed his mind. He leaned forward and kissed her. After a moment he pulled away.

"What did you do that for?" Skye was puzzled.

"'Cause I wanted to."

"Well, good choice." Skye smiled before leaning in again.

-------

_Ring ring ring ring_

"Phone..." Allison lifted her head from the pillow to answer the phone. "Hello?"  
_  
"Hi, Al? It's Skye. We're at the old building. There's still a phone here, and it had a dial tone, so we called. Is everything okay over there?"_

"Well, power's out, Greg's asleep, and it's kinda chilly, but everything's fine. How about you?"

_"Well, Rob is mad at me because I showed him the pictures of him sleeping with the makeup on, but otherwise we're fine. Where are you?"_

"Well, at a hotel. Saw the storm coming in and decided that we might not be able to make it back to Plaza." Allison was telling the truth, at least part of it.  
_  
"Sure... Well, I think the power's coming back on... The people across the street have their lights on now... Do you have power?"  
_  
"Um..." Suddenly the room was very bright. Allison blinked a couple times, while Greg pulled a pillow over his head. "Yeah, it's back. Full power."

_"Okay then. We'll meet you back home. Don't be out too long." _Allison could tell her niece was smiling.

"Yeah, yeah. That goes for you too. We'll be back soon." And with that she hung up the phone.

"Greg." She rolled over.

"Go back to sleep." He answered gruffly.

"Can't. For one, the lights are on, and two, Skye's expecting us home soon." She poked his shoulder.

"So what? Sleep." Allison moved out of the bed, trying to locate the rest of her clothes. He rolled over, now looking at her. "What are you doing?"

"Getting ready."

"Why?"

"Because I should be getting back. Skye's gonna need help cooking supper."

"Let Rob cook. You stay."

Allison stared at him, pulling her shirt on. "You trust a man who can't work the coffee machine to cook?"

"I can't work the coffee machine. You trust me to cook."

"Yeah, toast. And you can work the coffee machine. Can't make the coffee the right way, but you can work the machine." She slipped on her last sock. Now she just needed to find her shoes. She swiftly pulled her hair back into a ponytail. "You know where my shoes are?"

"Check the bathroom." She walked off to look in the bathroom, while Greg rolled out of bed and started to get dressed. "Where's my sock?"

"Right here." Allison walked out of the bathroom, both shoes on, and sock in hand. She tossed it to him.

"Thanks. You're a quick dresser." Within five minutes she had managed to find all articles of clothing and get dressed.

"Thanks. Here's your shirt." She tossed him his shirt. In the next ten minutes they were both dressed and ready to go. Allison had called a cab, and they were just leaving their hotel room when the mob attacked.

"Mr. House!" A chubby woman pushed her way to the front. "I'm your true love. I am _wonderful_ in both bed and the kitchen." She batted her eyelashes.

"Sorry. Not my type." He looked around for Allison, who was standing away from the crowd, smiling at the mob of people staring at him. Now it was his turn to be mobbed.

"Oh, but I am!" She glared at Allison. "She's so _fake_. Everything a man doesn't want. While me, I'm perfect." She tried to get closer to him.

'Listen. I don't care if she's 'fake' or what a man 'doesn't' want, in your opinion, you can't make my coffee." He hit her foot with his cane. She glared at him while another women pushed her way thorugh.

"Gregory..." She pushed her way right up to him. "I'm the woman for you."

"No, you're not." He pushed her away. He contiued the same routine with about four more women, and one guy, before Allison stepped in.

"Sorry to interrupt, but he's mine, and we have a dinner to go to. Why don't you girls all go find some other guy to stalk?" She wrapped her arm around his waist. He gladly wrapped his arm around her waist. The remaining ladies glared at her. "And if you think I'm fake? You should look at yourselves." And with that, they walked away.  
**  
So, happy Fourth of July to all of you in America!!! Please R&R!  
**


	16. Going Back

**Here's another big question of mine: Can you really flame a chapter/story/author if you don't have any work posted? Just wondering.**

** Ok, I was going to do three more chapters, but I decided to do two. This long one, and then a small epilogue/awards ceremony/thank you thing next. So, here it is. Super long. I know where I could divided it up into more chapters, but I thought it'd be much quicker (limited battery... and this way you don't have to keep loading pages!) if I just did this. So, here it is. The final "chapter." Sorry if I mess up some of the details on how they get to places (like how far you can really drive in one day, what highway you can take, the hotel, etc), but it's a little hard to get directions from Minot/Plaza to anywhere...**

**Chapter Sixteen**

**Going Back **

Four days later:

The sky was overcast. Not raining yet, but cloudy and dark. Everyone was looking at the casket hovering above the ground. Lexi had died painlessly, in her sleep, the way Skye hoped she would. Skye had broken down immediately upon hearing the news, and even Greg had tried to comfort her. After a very harsh statement from Greg, the followers had left them alone. Skye was leaning heavily on Robert, who had wrapped his arm around her shoulder. Allison was keeping her composure, just barely. The occasional sniff and eye-rub were the only things giving away her sadness. Greg kept his arm wrapped around her. They lowered the casket into the ground. Allison quickly drew in a breath. The priest said a prayer, and then the non-family left. Greg and Robert stayed right where they were, knowing both women would need them. Jacob was doing everything possible to not fall down to the ground crying. Aunt Christie had made it, and was standing next to him. Skye, Greg, Allison, and Robert would all be departing in two days. They had finalized a rental vehicle that would fit seven people. Jacob had chuckled at the fact that it would take them at least three days to get back, and that meant them riding in a car together for lots of hours. Mostly everything was packed up and ready to go.

"You okay?" Greg quietly whispered to Allison.

She managed a smile. 'I will be." She leaned her head against his shoulder as he tightened his arm around her.

"It'll be okay." Robert quietly mumbled, pushing a lock of Skye's dark hair behind her ear.

"I know, I just miss her, so much. She's the only mother I've ever known. No one would take me, but she did." She choked back a sob.

"I know you miss her." He pulled her into a tight hug, not caring if there would be tear marks all over the jacket. The same song kept playing through her mind, her mom's favorite:

_It's hard to listen to a hard hard heart  
Beating close to mine  
Pounding up against the stone and steel  
Walls that I won't climb  
Sometimes a hurt is so deep deep deep  
You think that you're gonna drown  
Sometimes all I can do is weep weep weep  
With all this rain falling down_

_Strange how hard it rains now  
Rows and rows of big dark clouds  
When I'm holding on underneath this shroud  
Rain_

_Its hard to know when to give up the fight  
Two things you want will just never be right  
Its never rained like it has to night before  
Now I don't wanna beg you baby  
For something maybe you could never give  
I'm not looking for the rest of your life  
I just want another chance to live_

_Strange how hard it rains now  
Rows and rows of big dark clouds  
When I'm holding on underneath this shroud  
Rain_

And then the rain started to fall.

-------

The next day, late.

The mood had improved considerably. After a few hours of just plain crying, the girls had gotten a little better. They had gone out for ice cream, and that had also helped. Perfect "wallowing" food, as Skye had called it. Both she and Allison had opted for the Extreme Chocolate Blizzard, and both had them add extra brownies and chunks. The Blizzards had vanished within ten minutes, and neither girl had any brain-freezes.

Currently everyone was sitting on a chair or couch, with the exception of Jacob, who had gone to bed. Allison held a cup of cocoa, Greg some of her coffee. Robert had "taken" a cup of Skye's coffee, but had quickly poured it down the sink and taken some of Allison's. Without telling anyone, Skye had also taken a cup of Allison's, which was made at a later time. Allison poked at one of her mini-marshmallows with her spoon. Ozzie was snuggled up between Greg and Allison, acting as a leg warmer. The storm had passed, and was steadily moving east, so they didn't have to worry about hitting it, at least for the first part of the trip. Robert clicked the remote; changing the channel. After a moment he turned the TV off.

Suddenly Greg, who had been deep in thought, shared what was on his mind. "I'm quitting." Everyone's heads swiveled to look at him.

"Your Vicoden? Sure. When pigs fly." Allison quipped.

"No, my job. At PPTH." Now everyone's eyes were wide.

"What? Why? Miss me too much?" Allison was grinning.

"No, it's not that." His face remained solemn. "There's more to do than not listen to Cuddy." He shrugged. "I liked it in London. It's nice up here, too. Thinking about staying." Everyone just stared at him, except of course Ozzie, who, as usual, was sleeping.

Skye broke the silence. "You want to stay here? In Plaza or North Dakota?" She chuckled at the thought of him staying in the town of Plaza: Population Less Than 1,000. He wouldn't have anyone to bug.

"North Dakota."

"You want to stray here, in the state that doesn't even make up the population of New York? Are you feeling all right?" Robert questioned.

"I'm serious. It's nice up here. Cold, but nice." Greg had seen some of the newscasts from a few years ago when North Dakota was pounded with snow, more snow than the usual tons of it.

Allison just tried to imagine him all bundled up in a parka, large mittens, a wool hat with a fluffy tassel on top, and giant snow boots. She burst out laughing.

"What?" Greg stared at her.

"You... parka... riding your motorcycle..." She could barely breathe, picturing him trying to ride his bike with all the gear on. Skye and Robert caught on and started laughing, too. Greg glared at them.

"What's so bad about me in a parka?" That comment made them laugh even more. Skye saw him crashing into a pile of snow, for in the winter it's icy and they stack up huge piles of snow everywhere. Robert saw him being pelted with snowballs from the kids living around here, and Allison saw him on a sled. He continued glaring at them as they started laughing harder. After a moment Skye had calmed down.

"Sorry, just seeing you in a pile of snow..."

"And being pelted by snowballs..."

"And trying to sled..." They all started laughing again.

"Hey, you two still work for me." He glared at Skye and Robert.

"Ha! You should listen to him! I no longer have to. Ha!" That received a glare from both Skye and Robert.

"And being as you two are romantically involved..." Their faces turned a shade of red.

"We are not!" Robert quickly added, Skye not a moment behind him.

"Aw, come on, we all know you are. That night in the building... What exactly happened there?" Allison questioned her niece.

"Nothing!" At the outburst Ozzie -finally- woke up. "I think I should take Ozzie out. I'm sure he has to go to the bathroom or something." Skye quickly stood up and picked up Ozzie, walking to the kitchen, where the back door was located.

"I think I'll get some more coffee." Robert stood up too, following Skye to the kitchen.

"Nice move there!" Greg called out to them.

-------

"Shotgun!" Greg quickly called out. They were leaving today, and as Allison had driven around the USA more than Skye had (she had had to drive down to Princeton from Minot before, and she always tried to remember the ways to different places from family trips), she was the one chosen to drive. The car was packed, and Ozzie was hopelessly following Greg around, not wanting his buddy to leave. Skye hugged her dad one last time, and Robert lifted her travel bag into the car. 

"Bye sweetie! Al, be sure that you drive... I'm not so sure about the men's driving skills." Jacob called out to his sister. She smiled back at him.

"All right everyone! Get in the car! We're going! And I have the sole control of the CD player!" Greg called out before sitting down in the passenger seat. Ozzie, who wasn't quite tall enough, whimpered from the driveway. Greg pushed him out of the way with his cane, and quickly closed the door. Ozzie continued his whimpering. Greg looked down at the white ball of fluff one last time before turning his attention to the CD player. He popped in one of his newest CDs he had picked up back in London. Allison rolled her eyes at the choice of music. It wasn't one of the CDs he had picked up in London, it was one of hers.

"I think that you took my CD." Allison stated as she started the car. He looked shocked at the soft music that started to play. He had been expecting Hinder, and the slow, quiet music came as quite a surprise.

"Did not." Greg didn't want her to think that he had been rummaging through her music, even though he had.

"So then who is this?"

"Um... Well, she's not from North Dakota..."

"No, she's not, but she is from my music collection. Name's Vienna Teng." Allison popped the CD out of the player. "And how about we just listen to the radio? There's Sirius." She gestured to a small device sitting on the dash.

"Okay, this is how we'll do it." Skye slid into her spot, still whimpering Ozzie wanting to get in. "I know the driver really gets to make the definite choice, but she always sides with me. We will vote on which station to listen to. Majority wins. And no threats." She directed the last statement at Greg, though she was grinning.

"I agree with Skye." Robert added, shutting his door.

"Of course you do. You know it's not safe if you don't. You two are sharing a bed, you know." Greg shot back at him. They knew they wouldn't make the trip back in a day, so they had decided that they would stop and rent a hotel room, and he wasn't willing to share a bed with his great-haired fellow.

"I'm armed with make up and I know how to use it!" Skye threatened Robert, lightheartedly.

"Okay, let's all wave goodbye now and shut up." Allison smiled at the look of shock from the rest of the people in the car. She smoothly pulled out of the driveway before finding a station on the radio.

-------

"No. Way." Greg stared at the hotel. They had ended up in some remote little town somewhere in Ohio. The hotel was the only one that was around within fifty miles, and everyone was tired. It was what looked like an old Super 8, but the 8 was long gone. The "S" was still lit, but that was it. The "Vacancy" sign looked like it had been lit up for years. The hotel was a perfect spot for a horror film. 

"We'll go in, get a room, sleep, get up tomorrow morining, and leave." Allison stifled a yawn.

"I don't know if I want to stay there." Skye looked up at the building.

"Well, I want some sleep, and if anyone comes in tonight I'll attack them with his cane." Allison motioned to Greg's cane. "Now, I am going in to get some sleep."

-------

"I am never staying there again." Skye complained as she tried to get settled back into her seat. After everyone had followed her in, they had found the receptionist sleeping on the desk, so they just left him a note and walked over to a room. There weren't any keys anywhere, and the doors didn't even have locks. Allison, who being tired made her quiet daring, had opened a door and found the room empty, of both people and almost furnature. The only things in the room were two beds, a nightstand that looked like it had seen much better days, and a lamp that had the remains of a smashed lightbulb still in it. After making sure there weren't any bugs or rodents in the beds, and barracading the door, they had all managed to get atleast five hours of sleep. When they had walked out of the hotel room no one was sitting behind the desk. They left fourty dollars, knowing that was more than enough. 

"You won't have to." Allison said as she started the car. Suddenly her phone rang. "Hello."

"Cameron? Where are you?" Cuddy's voice was coming through the phone.

"Well, we're in some little town in Ohio."

"What are you doing there?"

"Coming back." Allison steered the car out of the parking lot.

"Is House coming, too? When will you be back? How's Skye's mom? Is she alive still?"

"Yes, we have no idea, and no."

"Good. I need to talk to him when you get in. There are people here to see him."

"Well, considering everything that's happened, I think he'll probably just sleep when we get in. But I'll have him call you." She hung up the phone.

"Who was that?" Robert popped his head out from behind the seat.

"Cuddy."

"You didn't say anything about..."

"No, don't worry. Gotta take care of my niece." She smiled back at her niece, who was about to fall asleep.

"Huh?" Skye blinked a couple of times.

"Nothing. Go back to sleep."

"Sounds wonderful." Skye leaned her head against the cool window. "Don't play any rap. Allison can vote for me if it comes down to it." She quickly dozed off, the music from her Zen playing softly.

"Well, if you don't mind, I think I'll follow Skye and sleep." Greg said, shifting in his seat. Robert nodded his agreement.

"Go right ahead. Give me full control of the radio." She grinned. She had slept pretty well that night. Years of sleeping on the desk or table in PPTH had made her able to sleep almost anywhere, and still get a good night's sleep. Robert hadn't been so lucky. Soon the only sound heard in the vehicle was Greg's snoring and the occasional part of Skye's music.

-------

"Ah, home at last." It was dusk when the car finally pulled up into Princeton. Allison was happy to see the familiar lights. Skye had slept most of the way, and so had Robert. Greg hadn't slept very much, prefering to make sure that Allison paid attention to the road. He had been thinking about a lot of things on the trip back, and if he was sleeping he wouldn't have been able to think about so said things. 

"So, who do you want me to drop off first?" Allison looked back at the passengers in the backseat.

"My pad's the first one that you'll hit if you're going home." Skye piped in. "It's just off here."

"Alright. To Skye's place it is then." Allison turned off to begin the ride to her niece's.

-------

**Okay! There it was. There's an epilogue and some other stuff coming next... Hope you enjoyed. Sadly, I don't own the song (Rain by Patty Griffin), but I do own a copy of it!**


	17. Twins, Two Weddings, and Awards

**I incorporated my father and cousin in on this, only the personalities are totally different. So know you know my dad's name, my love for my state, and my little cousin's name.**

**Well, this is it, everyone. No more. No sequel. Nada. I know some might want a sequel, but I think that this is enough. I'm not good with sequels... My inspiration is just gone when writing one. Thanks for the support!!!!! (Note the five exclamation marks?) The ceremony is at the end!**

**Chapter Seventeen**

**Twins, Two Weddings, and Awards**

Three Years Later:

"Happy birthday, Kris!" Allison presented a big birthday cake to the little boy sitting on his mom's lap. His sister was being held by his father. Robert smiled down at his little girl, Anika. He and Skye had gotten married less than two years ago, and had twins. They were celebrating Anika's birthday, too, but Allison had made two separate, and little, cakes for them. They were turning one. Allison and Greg had also married, but about two months ago. Allison was just barely showing. Cuddy and Wilson had been dating for three months now, and Greg no longer worked at PPTH. Robert had taken a job that required less hours at work at another hospital, and Skye still worked at PPTH, just not as a fellow. Allison continued to work, but Greg liked to stay home and was currently working on composing some music, all of which his newfound family loved, but he hated. 

Greg emerged from the kitchen carrying the other cake for Anika. Anika looked a lot like her mother, and so did Kris, who had his daddy's blonde hair. Anika was quiet, and immediately bonded with Greg. She rarely cried, and worried her parents with her ability to sleep through most of the night. Kris, however, was always crying. No matter what anyone did, he always wanted to be with his mommy, and would have a fit if he wasn't. Skye and Robert had moved into a split-famliy home, three bed, three bath, with Greg and Allison on the other side. It was very helpful when you are raising kids, as you can knock on the walls if you need anything.

Anika giggled as the cake was placed in front of her. It was a striped blue, pink, and purple cake (this was Greg's making), strawberry-flavored. On top of all that frosting, there was "Happy First Birthday Anika!" written in green lettering. Greg had spent all day in the kitchen working on it, much to the surprise of the rest of the family. Jacob had flown down to see the babies, and was thinking about moving here to be close to his grand kids.

Greg had decided against moving to North Dakota, not yet. He wanted to be close to the little kids he now loved so much. He smiled as Anika stuck her hand right in the middle of the lettering. Allison set down the dark-blue and bright red cake with black lettering in front of Kris, who just looked at it, wondering if he should touch it. He was more conservative and worried than his carefree sister. Skye smiled at her picky son. She lifted her son's hand and placed it on the cake. Upon seeing his mom's approval, he went all out. Before anyone could get a camera out the kids were covered in cake, and so were their parents. Allison smiled at she took a couple of pictures. Jacob pulled out his camera and did the same. Anika noticed that Greg didn't have any cake on him, so, using as much power as she could, she threw a piece of cake right at him, hitting him square in the nose. Allison grinned as she took a picture of the dumbfounded Greg. He grinned before wiping it off his face and taking a bite. Anika smiled before doing the same. She giggled. Allison could see Anika a few years from now, following Greg everywhere, mimicking everything he did. She couldn't wait to see his reaction to all the little girl's questions. The family all shared a smile as the little ones played with their cakes.

**  
Awards:**

**First off, to all of you who reviewed. I would name all of you, but that would take quite a while when you can just go back and read through the reviews. Just know that you are appreciated, and for those of you who don't have anything posted, you have no idea how wonderful it is to know that your stories are being read and enjoyed. Thanks! And there's only one award... Computer time has been limited. Sorry!**

**Now, for the best reviewer (gets award handed to by Hugh Laurie himself):**

**saz86, for taking the time to R&R a majority of my stories. Thank you much.**

**And again, thank you all for the continued support. You guys really make me want to write more... There should be another one (camping trip, food fights, evil mosquitoes) coming up soon. And then an angsty one. But I've had so much inspiration from trying to fit five people in a motor home and making s'mores over candles and watching marshmallows explode in the microwave (we have the best family trips!) that I have to take a shot at a camping trip. So, this story has come to an end. Goodbye, all those of you who read this. Maybe I'll see you next time.**

**-TFA**


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